1. The "Mozart Theory" is a widely accepted idea that classical music calms both the mother and child (Swamination).
A. Classical music affects spatial-temporal reasoning, allowing for better math and engineering skills later in life. ("Womb to Bloom")
B. The womb amplifies sound so whatever the mother is listening to or even the tone in which she speaks and is spoken to can effect the child. (Chang, Chen, and Huang, 2580-2587)
Objections:
A. Researchers claim classical music only helps the IQ temporarily and does not have a long term effect. ("Womb to Bloom")
1. This study was done with college students it is hard to say what actually happens to the fetus when exposed to music.
B. "I think parents are very desperate to give their own children every single enhancement that they can"- Rauscher (Swaminathan)
1. This could be true, but no harm could ever come from calming music. It has been proven that classical music at the least calms the mother and unborn child. (Chang, Chen, and Huang, 2580-2587)
2. Newborn babies respond and remember music up to a year after birth.(Drums)
A. Mothers report feeling kicking in rhythm later in pregnancy when listening to music repetitively (Coila).
B. Babies exposed to music sleep easier after birth than those without stimulation.
C. The amniotic fluid allows for sounds to travel well, so the baby hears music and voices very clearly. (Drums)
Objections:
A. If not used in moderation the unborn child could be overstimulated and it could also hurt development. (Drums)
1. Harsher styles of music could overstimulate but if the Mozart theory is used the fetus would mostly likely be calmed not overwhelmed.
B. The studies done on music exposure focused on older children.
1. If music exposure shows influence on older children then it is not a reach to think that fetuses could benefit the same. (Robledo)
3. A group of women asked to listen to 30 minutes of calming music everyday for two weeks showed a decrease in stress (Chang, Chen, and Huang, 2580-2587).
A. Music with a steady beat around 60-80 beats per minute can help relax the mother and unborn child. Helping relieve stress and decrease depression. (Chang, Chen, and Huang, 2580-2587)
B. Music therapy is beneficial to mental distress. Two weeks of music exposure was concluded to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. (Chang, Chen, and Huang, 2580-2587)
Objections:
A. This study is not without fault. The women involved may have performed different activities while listening or rested more than others.
1. The women may have done different activities but the general outcome was still decreased stress regardless of activities performed.
B. Music at this tempo may encourage relaxation, and relaxation, or meditation, could be the true reason for decreased stress. (Chang, Chen, and Huang, 2580-2587)
1. It is the music that stimulates relaxation so even if meditation was the main reason, music was still the stimulant.
Chang, Mei-Yueh, Chung-Hey Chen, and Kuo-Feng Huang. "Effects of music therapy on psychological health of women during pregnancy." Journal of Clinical Nursing. 17.19 (2008): 2580-2587. Web. 10 Jul. 2012. <http://0-onlinelibrary.wiley.com.skyline.ucdenver.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2007.02064.x/full >.
Coila, Bridget. "The Effects of Music on Prenatal Babies." Livestrong. 17 JUL 2011: n. page. Web. 10 Jul. 2012. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/494633-the-effects-of-music-on-prenatal-babies/ >.
Drums, X8. "Pregnancy and Music: How Music Stimulates Baby Development." Drum Circle. X8 Drums, 19 JUN 2009. Web. 27 Jun. 2012. <http://www.x8drums.com/v/blog/2009/06/pregnancy-and-music-how-music.asp>.
"Mozart: Fact of Fiction." Womb to Bloom. Womb to Bloom, LLC, 2009. Web. 27 Jun 2012. <http://www.wombtobloom.com/baby-development/125-the-mozart-effect-fact-or-fiction.html>.
Robledo, S. Johanna. "Music and your unborn child." Baby Center. n.d. n. page. Web. 15 Jul. 2012. <http://www.babycenter.com/0_music-and-your-unborn-child_6547.bc?page=2>.
Swaminathan, Nikhil. "Fact of Fiction? Babies Exposed to Classical Music End up Smarter." Scientific American. 13 SEP 2007: n. page. Web. 28 Jun. 2012.
