Music and Your Learning Style

We've known this for decades, yet brand-new research by McGill University in Montreal, Canada, now confirms that music helps develop and stimulate the brain. It helps with communication and motor skills, it enhances word processing.

According to music therapist Neil Jourdan: "music helps to improve vocal skills, decrease inappropriate behaviour, improve academic ability, increase attention span, strengthen social skills, aid pain management and reduce stress, enhance self-confidence and promote emotional expression."

Renowned education expert, Barbara Prashnig, has a whole section devoted to using music in education in her book, "The Power of Diversity".

So, if Baroque music slows down the heartbeat and Mozart's music stimulates both brain hemispheres, should every learner have classical music playing in the background when they're learning?

The answer depends on your child's unique learning style. Do they prefer to concentrate in silence? Are they highly analytic? Highly auditory? Would music aid or distract them? Find out today.

Learning Styles and the Magic of Music

Question: I’ve heard that listening to music while studying helps children with their grades. Is that true?

Answer: It depends on the child’s Learning Style. Some students learn better in a quiet room. Others concentrate better in an environment with lots of background noise, such as the sounds of the city outside the window, the sounds of the family going about their routine tasks, the sound of soft music.

Have a look at a sample Learning Style Report to see it in action.

Question: So if my child’s Learning Style shows they have a strong preference for background noise, I should let them have the radio or the TV on while they’re doing homework?

Answer: Not quite. While it’s a good idea to ensure the room has some sort of background noise for those learners who need it, not all background noise is equal. Loud noise, a movie or inappropriate music (pop, rap) will actually distract the learner, no matter what their Learning Style strengths may be.

The best music to play for learning purposes is Classical Music such as Mozart, particularly if the student needs to be creative. For repetitive tasks, Baroque-style music is better. You can learn more about the use of music in learning through our training courses.

Question: How can I find out what my son’s Learning Style is and whether music is good for him?

Answer: Please see here for more information.

Learning Styles and the Magic of Communication

My Parents Won’t Let Me....

Have you ever looked at Bebo, MySpace or Yahoo forums for youngsters? They are full of troubled teens and messages such as:

• My parents don’t get me!
• They won't let me have an ipod.
• I hate homework!!!

Call it the Generation Gap, call it a perfectly normal domestic power struggle, call it what you will. But the fact is, arguments at home are neither pleasant nor constructive. They don’t help us raise our children and, in extreme cases, they may lead straight to the silent killer called stress.

What You Can Do

Part of your job description as a family is Communication. Unfortunately, however, the way you communicate depends on your Learning Style, which will be unique for every family member.

A Learning Style is the optimal way in which a person concentrates, learns new concepts and memorises information.

Consider how your spouse and children absorb information best.

If, for example, you are an auditory person, you will want to talk about any issues you may have. But stop, wait, think. Is your family as good at listening as you are at talking? If they are readers, though, you will be better off to send them an email... peculiar as it may sound!

If you tend to think sequentially, you will want to start at the beginning. If your family has holistic preferences, however, they will want you to skip the details and get to the point long before you’re ready. You will have a better chance of being understood if you give them an overview or the reason for the discussion in the first place.

(For the complete picture of all the elements that make up your Communication style, please see our LSA Pyramid.)

Is your family visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic? Do they think sequentially or holistically? Have a look here.