Music and Our Children

I was twelve years old when my mom and dad took me and my friend, Lee Russell, to my first real concert. It was held on the site that had once hosted the infamous Us Festival in Glen Helen, California. The concert consisted of a myriad of musicians, singer/songwriters who had graced American music history for decades with their oldies but goodies; perfomers whose faces I had only seen on record albums, gallivanting outrageously on television, or in some cases, in the news for domestic violence. They were Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, the Platters, The Tokens, and very randomnly, a surprise guest appearance by Cameo, "word up!" Yeah I know, but listen, I was twelve and it was my first concert. With that said, the concert foreshadowed an eventual personal interest in music that can only be summed up in one word, eclectic. But even more than that, remembering my first concert experience highlights a very real moment in my life where music struck a deep chord in me and made me want to be a part of it forever.

23 years later and countless concerts under my belt, I am now a father to two wonderful boys whose eventual music interests may or may not be influenced by me. However, I try to do everything possible to foster those eventual interests with hopes that, yes, they will like some of the same music I do. I mean, why wouldn't they love Pearl Jam?

To take this one step further, my interest in music and understanding of its power and influence over me personally and positively, made me begin to think how it too could positively affect my sons and their development. I had heard of stories, borderline myths, of the concert pianist whose parents played Beethoven to him while he was in his mother's womb. Was this real? To some degree, yes!

First coined by the well known otolaryngologist and inventor, Dr. Alfred Tomatis, and then later trademarked in a book written by Don Campbell, the Mozart Effect was a term suggesting that listening to Mozart temporarily boosted students' IQ's by 8 to 9 points. Many studies resulted from such a hypothesis and scientists' theories were so convincing that the once crazy-ass Georgia Governor, Zell Miller, wanted to include in the state's budget a plan to give every Georgian-born child a CD containing classical music.

In an interview given on MedicineNet.com, Campbell states, "Music stimulates the brain, the emotions, and the body simultaneously. Auditory impulses structure the way we learn to communicate. In speech, movement, and expression, music holds many nutrients for the developing mind of children."

For the most part, this sounds great, if like Campbell, one is a classical musician. But as a rough-necked rock/blues/folk/country/punk rock/Irish rock musician, I wondered, is classical music the only driving force behind this phenomenon? I played music to both my children while they were in their mother's womb. Some of the music came from my own live performances on the guitar, harmonica or mandoline, while some of it came from CD's of select rock bands: the White Stripes, the Pogues, the Ramones, Tom Waitts, Bob Dylan, etc. Were my children going to be less intelligent because it was not Beethoven, Mozart, or Handel? Probably not!

Music is what it is, spiritual. For every note played, something deep in a person is awakened and responds: a shake of the leg, a tap of the foot, a snap of the finger, a bob of the head. This much is true. So whether or not it's classical music or German Polka, I can't imagine the results of any IQ test being different. If you don't believe me, watch this YouTube video of my two year old son and I jamming music together.

Campbell admits that there is a place for "all music" in our lives, and even goes so far to say that parents should add a variety of music in a child's life. From chants to songs to folk music, all is welcomed. His only concern is with volume. Music played too loud can damage a child's cochlea, resulting in hearing loss, something I'm sure I've done to myself playing that old Kenny Roger's "the Gambler" album over and over again.