Musician urges parents to tune in to Mozart effect

London, November 4: Mozart started listening to music before he was born -- and by the age of four was already beginning to compose his own. Of course not every child exposed to music in the womb and in the first months of life will display such genius, but according to Don Campbell, musician, teacher and author of "The Mozart Effect", a little music early on can produce huge benefits.

And, he insists, Mozart does it better than anyone else.

"The power of music has to do with patterns and the timing of perception," Campbell told Reuters in an interview.

"What we are looking for from the music is form, repetition, variation, clarity and -- overall -- just not too much.

"Mozart's music is very organized, and clarity and organization are as important as any other aspect of the Mozart effect."

Campbell, an American who travels the world teaching about the beneficial qualities of music, has launched a series of "Mozart effect" CDs with compilations of pieces aimed at babies ranging from unborn fetuses through tantrum-throwing toddlers to demanding schoolchildren.

He also runs a Web site www.mozarteffect.com, but stresses he is not out to create child prodigies or encourage pushy parents.

His stated aim is to convince parents, doctors and teachers of music's role as a "powerful catalyst for healing, creativity and development."

SONIC AWARENESS

"None of these CDs claims that if you listen to it you will get smart, or if you put this on, the child will instantly go to sleep. That's a bit naive," he says. "What we are talking about here is developing sonic awareness."

"Everything that goes into the ear comes out as language -- it becomes the tool of emotion and expression."

Campbell's enthusiasm for music as a therapy for happier, healthier, more focused children is backed by plenty of evidence.

Specialist research published in 1997 found that premature babies who listened to classical music in their intensive care units gained more weight, left hospital earlier and had a better chance of survival than those without music.

A 1998 report by The College Board which administers scholastic aptitude tests in the United States showed that high school students who sang or played an instrument scored up to 52 points higher than those who did not.

And music can work magic with adults too.

Scientists at the University of Washington found that the accuracy of 90 copy editors increased by 21.3 percent when they listened to light classical music.

REPETITION AND FAMILIARITY ARE KEY

Mozart's music has the all-important repetition children love and provides a "familiarity of structure and rhythm to the ear" which Campbell says is key.

Mozart was a master of the sonata allegro form so every first movement has a theme, a development of it, and then a recapitulation of the theme.

"Children grow very well when they have a routine," he says. "Music can be used as a 'sound marker', so instead of just saying 'it's bedtime', you put on a certain piece of music and immediately it indicates the bedtime routine is starting."

But Campbell also insists any kind of music, even melodic, rhythmic talking or chanting, can be used as a sound marker.

He suggests making day-to-day activities -- like cooking or hanging out the washing -- opportunities for songs, and says parents should have the confidence to just make them up.

"It's so important for parents to use their voices and not be afraid to sing or chant with their children.”