musical ability and intelligence

[DEFELDUS]

i originally posted this in the bass guitar misc forum, but seeing as how my question stems from experience in a classical sense, i thought this would be a much more appropriate place for it. (not to mention my first responses were in regards to hair bands and kurt cobain )


ok, i am very involved in my high school band, i play bass for the marching and jazz bands, and am debating playing for the wind ensemble (double bass baby!) and i have come to a conclusion: people who are talented in music tend to be much more intelligent than the average people. in my band program about 60-70% of the kids are horrible, musically, behaviorally, and intelligently... yet the ones who are talented musically i have noticed are also the ones who are more intelligent (and have better behavior of course). so i was wondering, in you guys' opinions do you think there is a direct corrolation between intelligence and musical ability? i definately do.

[dvmweb]

Say, as related to one's ability to be expressive?
Walt MI/US

[DEFELDUS]

Originally posted by dvmweb
Say, as related to one's ability to be expressive?
Walt MI/US

well, not too specific to anything, just in general.

IMEs in jazz and the classical stuff the "good" players are always intelligent people, where as i have yet to find an unintelligent person who excels in music so naturally as the intellegent ones do. not to say that all the intelligent people are good at music or vice versa, but i just feel like there is something to it, musical ability and intelligence.

[Chandra]

It's possible that part of the reason you are seeing the "smarter" kids succeed more in music is related to the behaviors/dispositions they have that make them "smart" in the first place. I mean, these are the kids who are diligent, follow direction, and have self-control -- I bet they all do their homework and that they all practice their music at home. With any luck, these are also the kids with good critical thinking skills and the ones who have 'learned how to learn.' Without these kinds of dispositions, no one can be a good musician or a good student!

Just a thought.

[Steve Killingsworth]

What do you mean by intelligence? Many folk tend to equate intelligence with good grades but I can assure you that the world is full of educated idiots who graduated Magna Cum Laude. Odds are when you enter the world of post-secondary education you will encounter Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. His basic premise is that there are several types of intelligence (logic, kinesthetic, musical, etc.). Don't arrogantly assume that because you make good grades or can thump a bass that you are superior to those who cannot. X-RAY OBSERVATORY is accurate in her observations on discipline rather than intelligence.

[DEFELDUS]

What do you mean by intelligence? Many folk tend to equate intelligence with good grades but I can assure you that the world is full of educated idiots who graduated Magna Cum Laude. Odds are when you enter the world of post-secondary education you will encounter Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. His basic premise is that there are several types of intelligence (logic, kinesthetic, musical, etc.). Don't arrogantly assume that because you make good grades or can thump a bass that you are superior to those who cannot. X-RAY OBSERVATORY is accurate in her observations on discipline rather than intelligence.

im not talking about grades or anything, im just talking about the way you can tell they are intelligent mature and all that.

It's possible that part of the reason you are seeing the "smarter" kids succeed more in music is related to the behaviors/dispositions they have that make them "smart" in the first place. I mean, these are the kids who are diligent, follow direction, and have self-control -- I bet they all do their homework and that they all practice their music at home. With any luck, these are also the kids with good critical thinking skills and the ones who have 'learned how to learn.' Without these kinds of dispositions, no one can be a good musician or a good student!

yeah thats exactly what i am talking about.