Musical intelligence is defined as the ability to solve real-world problems regarding rhythmic and tonal patterns, and sensitivity to sounds from the environment. Everyone knows someone who is musically inclined. They do really well in noisy, crowded environments, and don't necessarily like the silence. Musical intelligence emerges with the development of ears in very early foetal stages, and infants can recognize the intonations of their mother's language. In original cultures, the musical desire led to innovations such as drum circles, musical healing, and ceremonies. Historically, music brought countries together through traveling trubadors, orchestras, operas, and jazz. In the modern world, itunes, CD's, and MP3's would not exist without musical intelligence. Today, people with a high musical talent find careers as singers, song writers, and audiologists. In my class, I relate to musical intelligence in order to help connect to each students' preferences for the initial essay. I also relate to musical students on their own terms. I don't invite my students to sing Christmas carols or participate in flash mobs, but sometimes I sing in class!
