In a new study, researchers found that some people learn music more quickly than others and that intelligence could play a role.
the study may be the first to examine the relationship between intelligence, music aptitude and growth mindset in beginner pianists.
A growth mindset refers to whether students believe they can improve basic abilities, like piano ability.
The research was conducted by a team at Michigan State University.
In the study, 161 undergraduates were taught how to play “Happy Birthday” on the piano with the help of a video guide. After practice, the students performed the 25-note song multiple times.
Three MSU graduate students judged the performances based on their melodic and rhythmic accuracy.
The team found there were striking differences in the students’ skill acquisition trajectories.
Some learned quickly, earning perfect marks within six minutes of practice. Others performed poorly at first but improved substantially later.
By comparison, some seemed to fade as if they had lost their motivation and others never figured it out, performing poorly throughout the study.
the researchers gave the students tests of cognitive ability that measured things like problem-solving skills and processing speed, and tests of music aptitude that measured, for example, the ability to differentiate between similar rhythms. They also surveyed their growth mindset.
They found that the strongest predictor of skill acquisition was intelligence, followed by music aptitude.
By contrast, the correlation between the growth mindset and piano performance was about as close to zero as possible.
The team says that the results were surprising because people have claimed that mindset plays an important role when students are confronted with challenges, like trying to learn a new musical instrument.
That said, results will likely differ for those with greater skill. But applied generally, the study’s findings may be helpful in education.
One author of the study is Alexander Burgoyne, a doctoral candidate in cognition and cognitive neuroscience.
The study is published in the journal Intelligence.
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