Community Connection ~ August 24, 2025: Become More “Music Smart”

This week we continue our series centered around Thomas Armstrong’s book 7 Kinds of Smart. As we dive into the theory of multiple intelligences, we’ll spend a Sunday exploring each of the ways our beautifully unique brains are capable of knowing things. Today’s focus: “Music Smart.”

Being music smart doesn’t just mean being able to sing well or play an instrument. We know that those skills are innate in some people but learned, to great success, in others. But musical intelligence also includes the ability to interact with sound and music on a deeper level - people who are music smart can replay songs and sounds in their minds the way spatially intelligent people can examine objects in theirs. And guess what? This is a skill you can tune into, just as you’d learn an instrument. “Cultivate your musical imagery,” as Armstrong writes, by sitting in a quiet place and testing your recall of different bits of sound - birds chirping, your phone’s ringtone, a favorite song - and then practice sharpening your ability to recall those sounds with accuracy and clarity.

But musical intelligence is not only a skill all its own, it also makes your brain work better in other areas. Music stimulates memory and creativity, so the more you work on being music smart, the greater the benefits you’ll see in those areas as well! Access these benefits by adding more music to your life. Armstrong recommends singing your communication on a regular basis - sing your thoughts and actions, make up little ditties about family members or pets…you might even consider joining the Desert Mission choir! In addition to stimulating your creative juices, songs can help you remember things - so sing facts you’re trying to learn, a Bible verse you’d like to memorize, or even your grocery list. Our brains recall things more easily when they are set to a rhythm or a melody.

If you’re not yet ready to sing your way through life (though we still urge you to keep at it), you can still tap into some of the benefits of musical intelligence by playing music in the background while you are learning or creating something new. So queue up your favorite song and get to work!

How does musical intelligence come into play in your life? Share your experiences with us on Facebook or Instagram!