In this brief video (2 minutes), I discuss musical intelligence or Music Smart, one of the eight (or nine) intelligences in Dr. Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. People usually think of musical capability as a talent (hence the ”talent show” often being a place where people show their musical abilities). But Dr. Gardner is suggesting that music has the same right to enshrinement as a full-scale intelligence as linguistic or logical-mathematical abilities or as IQ intelligence. Music has been a fundamental part of cultural history for millennia, where societies have passed down their most important information (genealogies, rituals etc.) by chanting or singing (keep in mind that the Greek classics the Iliad and Odyssey were spoken before they were written down, and ”performed” in a rhythmic way. Nowadays, most of us regard music as an entertainment, but it give rich rewards to those who plumb its depths by singing or learning a musical instrument, familiarizing themselves with the music of many cultures, use music to calm or stimulate ourselves or others, and/or simply sit back and enjoy the enthralling sounds of a great composer.
For more information about Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, get my practical guides to MI theory for:
- Adult learners (7 Kinds of Smart: Identifying and Developing Your Multiple Intelligences)
- Educators who teach children and adolescents — kindergarten through high school (Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, 4th edition) and/or
- Parents (In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child’s Multiple Intelligences).
This blog post was brought to you by Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. and www.institute4learning.com.
Follow me on Twitter: @Dr_Armstrong.
