Blog #11 Introduction

Mason 1

Lindsay Mason

Dr. Harris

ENG 1101

April 11, 2020

Music Therapy: The Key to Prenatal Intelligence?

I have three children - all three of them very smart. I know that sounds like any mom talking about her kids, but in my case, it really is true, but I'm not so sure it had that much to do with me.

Throughout their development, they have always accomplished their milestones before other children and have excelled in school beyond my expectations. I'm honestly not bragging. It's quite the opposite. I believe I had little to do with their intelligence.  I've wondered many times throughout their lives if it didn't actually have something to do with one specific thing I did differently from most moms during my pregnancies: Expose them to music.

I'm sure you've heard about music being used as therapy in various aspects of human health. Well, so had I. 

When I became pregnant for the first time almost 17 years ago, my thoughts quickly focused on how I could become the best mother to my unborn child. I did some research on what to expect during my pregnancy, what things to eat that would benefit my baby, what to do and not to do as physical labor, and on and on. I was determined to be the best mom ever. The more I read about my developing baby the more I realized that I was learning about its physical needs, but I knew very little about the baby's intellectual development.

I read many books and magazines, but none covered the topic I was most determined to understand. How could I, a pregnant mom, help the development of my child's brain. 

Mom Using Headphones During Pregnancy

At the time, I never really found a formal answer. I had to come up with my own ideas. I have always loved music, all types of music. So naturally, that's where I started. I went to a local music store and bought a headset and a portable CD player...like I said this was 17 years ago.  I started playing music every day to my unborn child. Before I knew it, it had become a routine. I would play all kinds of music at first, but then I started playing only classical music. To my own surprise, my baby began reacting to the music being played. I know it's hard to believe, but this little infant inside my belly would start to move and jump the moment it would hear music being played.

I continued to play music through my entire pregnancy. I did that for all three of my kids. I call it my secret ingredient to my very smart children.

Music as therapy has been used for hundreds and even thousands of years. I don't think anybody would argue that fact. However, beyond my anecdotal experience, is it possible to establish a scientific link between music during pregnancy and the intelligence or health of a child?