Take Note Studio Blog

  We’ve all heard the idea that classical music can make you smarter.  We’re told that listening to music while studying for a test can improve your score, or that playing music for a child in the womb can increase their IQ. In truth, the link between music and intelligence has yet to be proven. But while playing Mozart for your child may not give them a genius-level IQ, recent studies show that music can play a vital role in brain development. Music enhances cognitive, emotional, and social development, especially when babies are exposed to it from an early age.  Let’s take a closer look at how music boosts brain development in babies. Music Exposure Improves Pattern Recognition  A study done by the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS) found that playing music for 9-month-old babies while they played with their parents improved their brain’s processing of rhythm in both music and speech . Christina Zhao, lead researcher on th...

      Every parent knows the frustration of trying to get a fussy baby to sleep. You try everything...bouncing, swaying, feeding, back rubs...and nothing seems to work. You’re stressed and exhausted, and you feel heartsick for your poor little one. Whether it’s due to colic or any number of reasons, when sleep eludes your baby, you both suffer.   There are a number of techniques that can help your child get their much-needed rest, and one of them is music. Let’s look at how music can soothe your baby so they (and you) can get some sleep. Music Affects Babies Even Before Birth Music has an effect on babies even before they’re born. As early as 16-18 weeks, a baby hears its first sound; at 24 weeks, their ears are developing more, and they will respond to voices and noise. In the final months of pregnancy, a baby can recognize their mother’s voice, language, word patterns, and even rhymes.   In the 3rd trimester, your baby can definitely hear and respond to the mu...