Key Concepts

Musical Intelligence

Understanding Musical Intelligence

The ability to accurately perceive and/or produce acts of sound, rhythm, tone and melody.

People with strong Musical Intelligence have an aptitude for learning and playing musical instruments, singing, identifying melodies and rhythms, differentiating different sounds and instruments. They learn through listening, and can remember and respond to a variety of sounds, including human voice, environmental sounds, and music. They easily recognize musical styles, collect music or musical information, and are easily distracted by sounds or noise in the environment. They find symbolism in music , and are able to express ideas and feelings through sound and music. They love music and, for most of them, music is life. It may be easy for them to remember a long list of songs and they can easily hear music in their head, even when it is not playing around them. They may often surprise their friends with their ability to learn a tune just by hearing it.

Characteristics of Musical Intelligence

People with strong Musical Intelligence are inclined to:

  • Easily learn songs or play musical instruments
  • Have an excellent sense of rhythm
  • Hear music in their heads throughout the day
  • Identify the different instruments playing in a song
  • Use intonation in their voices while speaking to others
  • Be good at dancing

Traits of Musical Intelligence

  • Perceives Tonality
  • Maintains rhythm
  • Perceives pitch
  • Identifies melodies

Famous People with High Musical Intelligence

  • Sarah Chang (violinist)
  • Michael Jackson (performer)
  • Mozart (composer/musician)
  • Paul McCartney (singer/songwriter)
  • Marin Alsop (conductor)

Careers that correspond

Performing artist (musical), disc jockey, audio engineer, music director, jingle writer.

Hobbies that correspond

Singing, dancing, listening to music, learning a musical instrument.

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