Could a mother’s womb be her unborn child’s first concert hall? This literature review explores the effects of prenatal exposure to music and the effect it may have on postnatal development. In accordance with moral standards, parents should strive to provide the best possible environment for their children. If findings are true, regarding the ability for fetuses to recognize and discern different auditory frequencies in the prenatal environment, then the importance of determining its effect in the prenatal and postnatal world is crucial to ensuring the future generation’s intelligence. Literature findings lead me to conclude that though there are magnitudes of studies performed, there is still much to learn about the effects of prenatal exposure to music.
Postnatal Effects of Prenatal Music
In accordance with moral standards, parents should strive to provide the best possible environment for their children. This includes the precious stage of development during the prenatal period. Obtaining medical care during pregnancy is vital to ensuring the best possible outcome for both mom and baby; however, soon-to-be mothers may elect to participate in additional, nontraditional therapies, with the hopes of improving their unborn child’s life after birth. One interesting theory that has had various research studies conducted, is fetal exposure to music and the effect, if any, that it has on the child’s life and development after birth. So far, there is no credible research that has proven that exposing fetus’ to music during pregnancy is harmful (Lai, 2011).
The human fetus goes through numerous amounts of biological and physiological changes during the prenatal period. Though the fetus’ ears begin to form in the first fe...
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...Perinatal Stress Reduction. Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health, 12(1), 19-29. Retrieved January 25, 2012, from http://dreamhawk.com/pregnancy-childbirth/music-and-perinatal-stress-reduction/
Shelter, D. J. (1985). Prelude to a Musical Life: Prenatal Music Experiences. Music Educators Journal, 71(7), 26-27. Retrieved January 20, 2012, from National Association for Music Education Web site: http://www.menc.org/resources/view/from-heartbeat-to-steady-beat-music-and-the-unborn-child
Weinberger, N. M. (1999). Lessons of the Music Womb. Musica, 6(1). Retrieved January 18, 2012, from MuSICA Web site: http://www.musica.uci.edu/mrn/V6I1W99.html#womb
Wilkin, P. E. (1993). Prenatal and Postnatal Responses to Music and Sound Stimuli: A clinical report. In T. Blum (Ed.), Prenatal perception, learning, and bonding (pp. 307-29). Berlin: Leonardo Publishers.
Neal, D. O., & Lindeke, L. L. (2008). Music as a nursing intervention for preterm infants in the NICU. Neonatal Network, 27(5), 319-327. Retrieved from http://proxy.samuelmerritt.edu:2268/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=8&sid=a8d019e7-49df-4d8e-a6b1-8774f2f36327%40sessionmgr4002&hid=4207
Schetter, C. (2009). Stress Processes in Pregnancy and Preterm Birth. Current Directions In Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell), 18(4), 205-209. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01637.x
Since this study has yet to be thoroughly examined and replicated, it is hard to give weight to the argument. The fact that the study does not involve infant participants also contributes to the issue that studies involving babies are lacking, and thus it is difficult to support the theory that babies are able to be “made smarter” by the effects of Mozart’s music.
Lange, A. (2011). Prenatal maternal stress and the developing fetus and infant: A review of animal models as related to human research. Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy, 10, 326-340.
Music and the Brain: Processing and Responding (A General Overview). For any individual who either avidly listens to or performs music, it is understood that many melodies have amazing effects on both our emotions and our perception. To address the effects of music on the brain, it seems most logical to initially map the auditory and neural pathways of sound. In the case of humans, the mechanism responsible for receiving and transmitting sound to the brain is the ears.
http://www.musicianbrain.com/papers/Schlaug_Music_Child_Brain_NYAS2005.pdf>. " Scientific American Digital: Digital Archive of All Issues from 1993 to Present." Scientific American Digital: Digital Archive of All Issues from 1993 to the Present. N.p., Nov. 2004.
The ear houses some of the most sensitive organs in the body. The physics of sound is well understood, while the mechanics of how the inner ear translates sound waves into neurotransmitters that then communicate to the brain is still incomplete. Because the vestibular labyrinth and the auditory structure are formed very early in the development of the fetus and the fluid pressure contained within both of them is mutually dependant, a disorder in one of the two reciprocating structures affects the (2).
Trevarthen, C. (2002). The 'Second Making Sense of Infants Making Sense. Intellectica, 1, 161-188. Trevarthen, C., & Malloch, S. (2000). The Dance of Wellbeing: Defining the Musical Therapeutic Effect.
As children, we are exposed to many new and intriguing elements. One of those new items of exploration is the element of music. When children are brought home from the hospital and are crying without end, mothers and fathers sing to them in order to calm them down. Before putting them down to sleep, a lullaby is a common practice of parents. Songs are also very evident in children’s television shows, movies, and even books that have buttons that make music while reading the book. At a young age music enters into the grasp of children and as they grow and mature music has an even bigger impact on their life. Three pieces of music that are examples of childhood music are “Brahms’ Lullaby,” “Tse Tse Kule,” and “Nobody’s Perfect.”
The correlation between music and individuals is a very heavily researched topic. This literature review will critically evaluate the claim made by Don Campbell (1997, p.24) that ‘playing Mozart makes babies smarter’. This review will look at the history of the Mozart effect and also look at a range of sources that support and also go against the claim that the Mozart effect makes babies smarter. These claims will be analysed through the three main measurements in relation the Mozart effect these are spatial reasoning, arousal and also mood.
UCP, . "Benefits of Music for Children with Special Needs: Tips for Parents and Educators." United Cerebral Palsy. N.p., 2012. Web. 12 Jan 2012.
Music therapy is a psychotherapeutic treatment most commonly used to help children with developmental disabilities. Music as a therapy has been around longer than one might think and "recognized for centuries." (Bunt 179) Many years before that, music was used as a less scientific means of healing by medicine men (Hadley 215). By using music therapy directly, or indirectly, as a developmental aid, many people can be positively effected. When many people can use the treatment, it has to be available in many different locations. More than any other age group, children benefit most.
Zhao, F., Manchaiah, V.K.C., French, D., & Price, S.M. (2010) Music exposure and hearing disorders: An overview. International Journal of Audiology, 49 (1), 54-64. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.
Children love music and recognize it very early in life. Mothers singing lullabies to her newborn baby, toddlers banging on a pot in the kitchen, preschoolers singing their favorite nursery rhyme, music is an important part of a child’s life. Music does many things, it can bring back a memory or a feeling, it can sooth and relax, and it teaches. Music also teaches children; Language, listening skills, and communication to name a few of the concepts children learn through music. "Scientists are confirming what teachers have long suspected: Music not only touches people's souls, it also shapes growing minds. When children sing or play music they become better readers, thinkers and learners. The more we discover about how the brain works, the more we recognize how crucial music is to children's learning." Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer, Ph.D., a psychoanalyst at the University of California, Berkeley.
Studies indicate that high-stress levels might lead increased risk of premature delivery, behavior problems in kids, and low birth weights. Further on, pregnancy stress increases the probability of the child having a cognitive delay, depression, and anxiousness. It is integral that mothers minimize anxiety and stress during pregnancy so that they the mother might provide the infant with an optimal environment in which the infant shall grow (Lullabelly 1). As such, listening to the comforting music relaxes muscles, reducing stress hormones and promotes a state of well-being for both the infant and the mom.