Howard Gardner: His Sayings On Musical Intelligence

(Howard Gardner)

The theory of multiple intelligences developed by Howard Gardner has significantly influenced education in the last few decades. Gardner refers to the intelligences as ways of knowing and understanding yourself and the world around you. In the introductory section of Frames of Mind, his first popular book on the subject, Gardner defines intelligence as "the ability to solve problems, or to create products, that are valued within one or more cultural settings" (1983). He explains that he was seeking to undermine the common notion of intelligences as a general capacity or potential which every human being possessed to a greater or lesser extent. He questioned the assumption that you could measure intelligence with standardized verbal instruments, such as the short answer, paper and pencil IQ test. He asks his readers to "perform two thought experiments."

• Imagine you have never heard of the concept of intelligence as a single property of the human mind; or that an instrument called the intelligence test exists.
• "Cast your mind widely about the world and think of all the roles or "end states" - vocational and avocational - that have been prized by cultures during various eras (hunters, fishermen, farmers, shamans, religious leaders, psychiatrists, military leaders, civil leaders, athletes, artists, musician, poets, parents, and scientists)"

In Gardner's early research he discussed seven intelligences. Gardner later introduced an eighth intelligence: the naturalist intelligence.

Gardner believes that everyone possesses some capacity in all intelligences, but these intelligences function together in ways unique to each person. He proposes that most people can develop each intelligence to an adequate level of competency. Gardner determined the validity of each intelligence by reviewing such factors as the potential impairment of the intelligence by brain damage, the existence of savants and prodigies, a definable set of expert "end-state" performances, an evolutional history and plausibility, support from psychological data, an identifiable set of operations, and the use of a symbol system.

"As a young person I was a serious pianist and enthusiastically involved with other arts as well. When I began to study developmental and cognitive psychology, I was struck by the virtual absence of any mention of the arts. An early professional goal was to find a place for the arts within academic psychology. I am still trying! In 1967 my continuing interest in the arts prompted me to become a founding member of Project Zero, a basic research group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education begun by a noted philosopher of art, Nelson Goodman. For 28 years, I was the co-director of Project Zero and I am happy to say that the organization continues to thrive"

(AERA, 2003)

For an update from Howard Gardner himself - Multiple Intelligences after Twenty Years -http://www.pz.harvard.edu/PIs/HG_MI_after_20_years.pdf

Edited by: Carol Roger, 2010