Throughout history, it actually wasn't a secret to the great minds. Many artists, intellectuals, writers, mathematicians, and scientists shared this one unique ability and it can be traced all the way back to antiquity. Most people view this once secret as more a recreational activity or pleasing way to pass the time. Though it certainly can be those things, it is actually much more.

What many of the great minds and geniuses throughout history shared was the ability to play a musical instrument and the ability to read music. Today, music is seen as either a hobby for amateurs or a career for professional musicians. It can also be these things, but the “gray” area of this topic is what I will discuss in this article and how it affects the development of intelligence. I will begin by introducing several geniuses throughout history that have lived productive lives and contributed greatly to society because of their mind. The people in this article are not known as musicians, but you will know them by the names and the legacy that their names render.

The Father of Science, Galileo, played a major role in the Scientific Revolution and supported the idea that the Earth revolved around the Sun. Considered forever to be a genius, music played a central role in Galileo's development. Music lead him to many important discoveries in new physics that still hold true today.

One of the greatest minds of all time, and the original "Renaissance Man," Leonardo Da Vinci was centuries ahead of his time with his futuristic inventions, and timeless with his epic paintings such as "The Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper." Some of his inventions were never built until many years after his death. His imagination was just too far ahead of the technical capabilities of his time. Leonardo also had a talent for music during his early development years as an apprentice. He sang and played several musical instruments. It is considered that music was only second to painting in his artistic abilities.

Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States, practiced the violin 3 hours a day. He was the founder of what later become known as Jeffersonian Democracy, a political philosophy. He was chosen as the author of The Declaration of Independence because he was known as a fine writer with an incredible command of the language. He was a proficient violinist and had an extensive catalog of sheet music. Jefferson called music "this favorite passion of my soul."

Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist whose discovery of the theory of relativity sparked a revolution in physics and changed the world of science forever. Besides being a Nobel Prize winner in physics, Einstein was also an excellent violinist and pianist. Many of his theories were developed while striking chords at the piano and playing the melodies of Mozart. Einstein said that “Life without playing music is inconceivable for me. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music…I get most joy in life out of music.”

Throughout the ages, music has been at the center of consciousness for the great minds of the world. Music influenced their thinking and sparked their creativity. This phenomenon shook the world and made contributions to society. Many of the great minds have always known that there is a musical link between education, imagination, and discovery.

Am I saying that if you learn a musical instrument that you will become a genius? No. But it has already been proven on a smaller scale that learning music improves test scores, SAT scores, and IQ levels. Though music learning is not a guarantee to becoming a genius, we should all aspire to be like a Da Vinci or Einstein. If not us, at least ensure that your children have the opportunity to enhance their education and development with musical training.

The goal of learning music is not to become a genius, but to create opportunities. Music is conducive to developing many non-musical skills that will be necessary to combat life's challenges when they present themselves. The more skill sets you possess, the more opportunities you can take advantage of. Opportunities lead to productivity and prosperity. In order to take advantage of an opportunity, you must be intellectually prepared to act on it. Therefore, music can be an underlying link that connects the development of intelligence and the opportunities found in a prosperous life.

I wrote this article because I believe that learning music must have a permanent place in education and development. The past proved it. The present is forgetting it. The future must take hold of it again.

We need smarter people in our society to produce and maintain an increasingly more complex economy. And whoever chooses not to aspire to be like a genius will have less opportunities to take part in the benefits of the new world economy. In the future, there will few opportunities for the unskilled.

So let's learn from history. Let's not forget how we got here. Let's reclaim our legacy of excellence.

I just finished watching the Charlie Rose Show on channel 13 this evening. His guest was The Tiger Mom, and I learned some new information about the controversial mother which I would like to share with you in this article. Since my original article about the Tiger Mother was so popular, I thought that you would like to know more. I will discuss the updates from her interview with Charlie Rose and go into more depth regarding parenting, and the discipline and process of learning a musical instrument.

So What Is New With The Tiger Mom?

As I wrote in the first article, the Tiger Mom's second daughter Lulu, quit the violin because of the rigorous practice regimen that her mother forced her to follow. What the Tiger Mom said in the interview was that Lulu recently went back to the violin! It happened sometime after she finished her book, Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother.

As the story goes, Lulu quit the violin and took up tennis instead. Well, after some time, Lulu returned to the violin because she missed it. She loves the music of Bach and Mendelssohn and enjoys playing their great works. Did the Tiger Mom force her to go back to the violin? Absolutely not. Lulu chose to go back with her own free will. A lesson has to be learned from this.

The lesson is that you can't force a child to practice a musical instrument for 2 to 3 hours a day. It's kind of like gambling. You might have a winner, or you might just as likely have a loser. What I mean is that, the 2 to 3 hours practicing worked well for the Tiger Mom's first daughter who performed a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, but the same regimen caused Lulu to quit and lose interest.

How do you know when it's too much?

If your child wants to learn a musical instrument and has the will, you should encourage it. Certainly, you will have to make sure your child practices daily. Not 2 to 3 hours. Between 30 minutes and an hour. Just like anything else that you have to do daily, it becomes a bit boring. This is where the skill of discipline is developed. Very important. When it becomes difficult or monotonous, discipline is what prevails. I always tell the parents of my students, that if their child practices 4 hours, but only 1 day a week, the results will not bear fruit. I tell them to make sure their child practices 30 minutes every day. I can tell the difference between a student who practices daily and one that practices once a week. The results are vastly different.

Teaching Music Appreciation

It's important not to force your child to take lessons or to practice several hours a day like the Tiger Mom did. The best thing to do is to start music appreciation during early childhood. All children are musically inclined. A child can naturally begin humming or singing at the age of 1! Music perception can be traced back to the most primitive and ancient parts of the human brain. It's within all of us. But the best time to develop that musical connection is during childhood.

If your child is past the early stages, you still have an opportunity to encourage music appreciation. Play music in the house. Play music in the car. Go to a concert. Classical music, jazz, country, folk, or popular music. Just stay away from the hip hop and rap. Don't worry, your child will discover those styles easily because they're everywhere.

When you're listening to music together, have a conversation about the music with your child. Ask him/her questions about the music. “Do you like this song?” “Can you hear the piano?” “Doesn't the singer have a pretty voice?” Etc.

And show enthusiasm about music. I'm sure you like music. Who doesn't? Show it and express it to your child. When I was growing up, there was always music in the house, in the car, and on the TV. Turn off the video games and the talk shows, and turn on a concert on PBS or turn on a free streaming radio station on your computer. And besides, it puts everyone in a good mood. Music is food for the soul.

I am happy that Lulu went back to her violin and I'm sure the Tiger Mom is too. Sometimes we have to leave something before we can appreciate it. No one likes to be forced to do anything, especially when it's unreasonable. Balance is the key. If your children practice their instruments everyday for at least 30 minutes of focused attention, not only will they learn how to play and read music, but the grades and test scores in math, science, and reading will eventually go up as well.

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