Musical Intelligence: Definition, Characteristics, and Activities for its Development

Music is part of our lives from the moment we are born. As human beings, we celebrate the most important activities or occasions in our lives with music. Our day-to-day is full of situations that bring up mind memories to identify rhythms and melodies. That is why we do not have to be professional musicians to think about music; we all have musical intelligence. The development of musical intelligence dates back to ancient times, with musical instruments as archaeological evidence.

Musical intelligence is one of the eight intelligences that make up Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. It is important to remember that Gardner defines intelligence as “the ability to solve problems or produce products that are of importance in a given cultural context or community.”

In his theory, Gardner indicates that there are eight types of intelligences. They work together, but at the same time, they are independent. They all have the capacity for development based on stimuli. In this article, we will be describing one of them, musical intelligence.

Musical intelligence is the ability to perceive, distinguish, transform, and express sounds and musical forms. It allows people to create, communicate and understand meaning through sound. This intelligence includes sensitivity to the rhythms, melodies, and tones of a piece of music. Children may show musical precocity due to being exposed to musical instruction or if, for example if they are born into a musical family. The more exposure children have, the more it will develop.

It should be noted that musical intelligence is one of the intelligences, from the theory of multiple intelligences, that has received the most criticism from scientists. These assume that musical ability is a talent and not intelligence. In response to these criticisms, Gardner responds with the evidence that musical intelligence exceeds the eight established criteria and with the famous phrase: “Okay, let’s call it talent, but we have to stop using the word intelligence in all discussions of human abilities.”.

“Music can serve as a way to capture feelings, insights about feelings, or insights into the forms of feelings; communicating them, thus, from the artist or creator to the attentive listener.”

Gardner, 1983

Musical intelligence can be stimulated in the classroom with environments in which students use songs, rhythms, and musical phrases to memorize and learn content. The teacher may offer opportunities to listen to music recordings, create and play musical instruments. In the same way, it is recommended to use background music while students work.

Characteristics of people with developed musical intelligence:

• Think musically.

• His thought is abstract in the form of music. They associate all their thoughts with some melody or musical tone.

• Appreciate music.

• They love to perform musical pieces. They appreciate every aspect of music, its melody, rhythm, and tone.

• Compose music and identify musical instruments.

• They can compose musical pieces. In the same way, they can take apart a piece and identify the sounds of all the instruments used in it.

• Play musical instruments.

• They read the musical staff and play different musical instruments. This lets them know which instrument is out of tune, rhythm, or melody.

• Listen to music all the time.

• Music is part of their daily life. They constantly listen to music or hum songs when there is usually silence.

Strategies and materials used by people with developed musical intelligence:

•  Bands, orchestras, or choirs

• They belong to musical associations, bands, orchestras, or choirs. These activities allow them to develop their musical intelligence while sharing with peers with the same interests.

• Musical instruments

• They play different musical instruments, whether wind, string, or percussion. They are experts in tuning these.

•  Associations of melodies with concepts

• Through different situations, they associate melodies. Usually, it is easier for them to invent a melody to learn or memorize concepts.

• Songs and rhymes

• Through games, they develop songs and rhymes that help them perform better in their environment. Many people combine concepts and learn them through songs.

• Background music to work or study

• They usually use background music to relax, study, work or carry out other functions. This process does not affect their concentration and helps them channel their energies.

Activities you can do to develop your musical intelligence:

• Participate in in concerts and musicals.

• Among the activities you can participate in, you can find concerts and musical events. These events bring together people with the same interests and allow you to participate in a complete show.

• Learn to play an instrument.

• Playing a musical instrument developed musical intelligence and other brain areas. This helps with concentration, focus, and the development of motor skills.

• Enroll in a music appreciation or theory course.

• Music appreciation or theory courses allow exposure to theoretical and academic aspects of music. This will enable you to expand your knowledge and develop the ability to appreciate musical pieces in different categories.

• Read about the lives of famous composers.

• Reading biographies about composers will allow you to delve into different musical genres and understand the origin of the compositions. In the same way, while you read, you can continue to develop your verbal-linguistic intelligence.

• Listen to music in the background while studying, working, or other times.

• Listening to music in the background will help you develop the ability to carry out different tasks simultaneously. This will help you in your process of concentration, execution, and productivity.

• Listen to different styles of music than you are used to.

• This activity will allow you to stay at the forefront of the different musical genres and rhythms that exist. You will diversify your knowledge and appreciate other musical styles that you do not know.

Musical intelligence is one of the first intelligences we develop from childhood. Like the other intelligences, it is essential in the life and development of human beings. Musical intelligence allows us to interact with other people, expand our thinking and develop organization and concentration skills. These skills can be acquired from infancy, both in the classroom and at home. The more we expose ourselves to the identification of rhythms, melodies, and tones, the better capacity we will have to develop this intelligence. When you develop this intelligence, you can think better and use a musical sense that allows us to adapt and understand the world around us.

References

Armstrong, T. (1993). 7 Kinds of Smart: Identifying and Developing Your Many Intelligences. Plume.

Armstrong, T. (2006). Inteligencias múltiples en el aula. Barcelona: Paidós.

Bartolomei-Torres, P. (2018). Inteligencias múltiples en el aula, un recurso para el aprendizaje significativo en la Enseñanza de una Lengua Extranjera (Ph.D). Universidad de Granada. Recuperado de http://hdl.handle.net/10481/52430

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind. New York: Basic Books.

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.

Hall, M.C. (1999). Multiple Intelligences: Teaching Kids the Way They Learn. Torrance, CA: Frank Schaffer Publications, Inc.

Suazo-Díaz, S. (2006). Inteligencias múltiples: manual práctico para el nivel elemental. San Juan, Puerto Rico: La Editorial, Universidad de Puerto Rico.