Mozart & Marshmallows to Teach About Concentration & Grit?

We took a chance yesterday afternoon.  How would New North Citizen’s Council campers walking into WGBY’s Center for Literacy and Learning at Springfield’s Gerena Community School react to hearing Mozart?  And would they be bored watching this pretty well-known MarshMellow Test?  The 3 different groups of  campers — Chickadees, Parakeets and Phoenixes who ranged in age from 5-12 years — proved attentive and curious.  After we stopped the clip to talk about the “powerful implications” of follow-up studies about children in the test — from their school success to personal relationships — campers wanted to watch more.  (And some wanted to take the test, confident they could wait for a second marshmallow:)  They also learned that their ability to have the “grit” and determination to stick with goals, especially when things get tough, can be developed over time.  This information can be just as valuable to them as when we teach how the brain develops, and students realize that their minds and bodies change and grow, and their care and use of them matters.

You can watch a YouTube video clip of Katie Couric interviewing a researcher about the Marshmallow Test’s findings  relates to children’s ability to pursue future goals.  You can also hear the Mozart Study Music campers heard.  

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