Multiple Intelligences & Music Lessons
Updated: May 15, 2019
Back in 1983, American developmental psychologist, Howard Gardner, proposed his model that the human mind is not limited to only one or two types of intelligence, but that there are multiple ways in which a person may be “intelligent.” Intelligence is not a single general ability. It's more than the ability to work well with numbers or words but includes a range of skills and abilities. You can picture it this way, the human mind is not a calculator that is programmed to do only one task but is made up of many computers that perform a range of tasks. Gardner proposed a model that suggested we have nine types of intelligences. These include musical, logical, spatial, linguistic, natural, kinesthetic, inter-personal, intra-personal, and existential intelligences.
NINE MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
Musical Intelligence could be described as sound smart. These people are best discerning pitch, rhythm, timbre (also called tone color), and tone. Musical intelligence relates to listening as well as creating music. They will hear sounds that others might otherwise ignore. They have a strong emotional response to sound, and they share a lot of thinking processes with people with high Logical-Mathematical intelligence.
Logical-mathematical Intelligence is another way of saying number and reasoning smart. People who have high Logical-Mathematical Intelligence perceive relationships and connections and use abstract, symbolic thought; sequential reasoning skills; and inductive and deductive thinking patterns. In the old model of intelligence Logic-mathematical intelligence was viewed as one of the measures of true intelligence. These people make great engineers and detectives.
Spatial Intelligence means visually smart. These people can think in three-dimensions. They excel atmental imagery, spatial reasoning, image manipulation, graphic and artistic skills, and often have active imaginations. These people are visual artists, pilots, and sailors.
Linguistic Intelligence relates to verbal intelligence. These people are word smart. They are adept at thinking in words and to use language to express and appreciate complex meanings.In the old model of intelligence Linguistic Intelligence was viewed as the other measure of true intelligence. These people are writers and public speakers.
Naturalist Intelligence is nature smart. People will high naturalist intelligence can discriminate among living things (plants, animals) as well as other features of the natural world (clouds, rock configurations). This ability was very important in the past for farmers and hunter-gatherers, but is still important today for chefs, botanists, and making good consumer choices.
Bodily-kinesthetic Intelligence is body or movement smart. These people are the doers. They manipulate objects and use a variety of physical skills. This intelligence also involves a sense of timing and mind-body coordination.Examples of the this intelligence in action include dancers, athletes, surgeons, and craftspeople.
Inter-personal Intelligence refers to what are often called having good “people skills. People “people smart” means being great at verbal and non-verbal communication. Teachers, actors, and politicians all have to excel at this kind of intelligence.
Intra-personal Intelligence refers to having high self-understanding, being “self smart.” They are also highly self-motivated and very aware of their own feelings. It involves appreciating oneself, but also having high empathy for others. These people make great psychologists, spiritual leaders, and philosophers.
Existential Intelligence refers to being philosophically smart. These people are able to tackle big questions and issues. These people ask questions like, “What is the meaning of life?” or “What is consciousness?” These people are highly abstract thinkers and make great theologians, philosophers, and scientists.
MUSIC & MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
Now that we’ve looked at what the nine intelligences are, let’s consider how they relate to you or your child as a music student. When considering learning a musical instrument, it is easy to say that that falls under “musical” intelligence. However, it is more than just “musical intelligence” that is required to be a great musician. A great musician has to strengthen ALL NINE intelligences to be the best we can be. It may seem like some people are born smart or talented, but all of us have the ability to improve in ALL of these areas. Intelligence is not static, it grows and changes with us. Studying music and arts is one way to exercise our minds and become the better and better versions of ourselves.
Musical Intelligence increases when we study music. We learn to listen better. Our brains become better at noticing subtle sounds that others may not hear.
Logical-mathematica