My wife and I just returned from an appointment with our OB to check on the progress of our son Brendan who is due to arrive in January. As an expectant father and producer of therapeutic music programs I am a huge believer in the positive benefits of exposing our son to music in utero and beyond.
So, I just opened my email and sitting in my Inbox is a study forwarded to me by my friend and collaborator Don Campbell that demonstrates that Mozart soothes premature babies. Now, this is no revelation for those of us in the field, but it it gratifying to see researchers continue to study the effects of music on newborns, at a time when our auditory system is most vulnerable to the onslaught of noise we are faced with as we exit the birth canal and leave the warmth and comfort of the fluid filled womb.
The Israeli study demonstrated that healthy, premature infants who listened to Mozart had a 10-13 % reduction in resting energy expenditure compared to those with no music exposure. The study did not evaluate other music and has not been replicated but the findings are interesting and support further scientific exploration. This study will be published in the January print issue of the journal Pediatrics. Read the story in the online edition of U.S. News & World Report.
So, when Brendan arrives will there be music to greet him? The answer is an unequivocal YES!! What will he be listening to? Well, to be honest the award-winning Music for Babies collection that I co-produced with my dear friend Richard Lawrence a few years ago. Newborn or otherwise, I can assure you Sleepy Baby and Peaceful Baby will ease the stress of your day.
