Musical Smart

Should Animators not also be taught how to be musical smart?

In my previous post I wrote about how Baena believes that there is a link between animating and making music. If this is indeed the case, it means that animators most probably also use musical intelligence when they animate. According to Howard Gardner, a Ph.D Professor of Education at Harvard University, one’s intelligence (or competencies) can be grouped into the nine intelligences listed below:

1.      Verbal-linguistic intelligence

2.      Logical-mathematical intelligence

3.      Spatial-visual intelligence

4.      Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence

5.      Musical intelligence

6.      Interpersonal intelligence

7.      Intrapersonal intelligence

8.      Naturalist intelligence

9.      Existential intelligence

According to Oxford dictionary intelligence is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills”. Gardener states that each person has a unique blend of the different intelligences and that teaching strategies should address multiple intelligences to reach the student’s full potential.

It is reasonable to assume that animators should have spatial-visual (or picture smart) intelligence which can be described as the creating of visual images and understanding the relationships between meanings and images. However, if Baena is correct, they should also have musical (musical smart) intelligence, i.e. as the awareness, appreciation and use of sound and the recognition of tonal and rhythmic patterns. This begs the question whether the training of animators should not also include the development of their musical intelligence? And, whether the theory of music should not also be included in the curriculum of animation students?

Reference: Gardner, Howard. "Multiple Intelligences." (2010). Web. 22 Feb. 2016