A recent article published by LiveScience.com took aim at dispelling some common medical myths that many people—including some doctors—still mistakenly believe are true. The article detailed the truth behind myths such as hair and fingernails continuing to grow after death, the idea that reading in low light damages readers’ eyes.

However, there are still other myths that pervade pop culture and science, and one of the biggest ones could affect your kids—or at least their iPods.

Parents always want what’s best for their children, including the best education.

Taking things to the extreme, in recent years, some people have extended this notion of early education all the way to the crib—and even the womb. The idea is that exposing very young children to classical music would improve the function and development of their brains.

But does it work?

The University of California at Irvine was among the first to test the hypothesis that exposure to classical music could be beneficial to brain function. The results of the study were initially published in a 1993 article in the journal Nature, titled “Music and Spatial Task Performance.”

Dubbed the “Mozart Effect,” the study actually tested—and proved—that playing the composer’s piano sonatas for college students slightly improved their performance on mathematically-themed IQ tests, albeit only temporarily.

While the study didn’t make the claim, many parents and media outlets began promoting the idea that the same music-induced benefits would apply to newborns—and perhaps even to fetuses, if their mothers listened to the music, or placed headphones/speakers near their belly.

As a result, for years parents have piped the classical sounds into nurseries hoping to give their kids a little extra advantage.

However, more recent studies have concluded that the impact of music on children may be insignificant, other than serving as a nice lullaby.

According to a report published by Stanford University press, the results of the initial Nature report were blown out of proportion by numerous media outlets, some of which falsely reported that the study had found that music benefited groups including babies, mental patients, and elementary and high school students.

In reality, the only group tested had been college students.

Furthermore, subsequent attempts to replicate the 1993 study have yielded less conclusive results, making the purported benefits of the music sound increasingly like anecdotal knowledge rather than scientific fact.

A follow-up study on the Mozart Effect by the psychology department of Appalachian State University found that the music’s impact on IQ and test performance was minimal at best and could be explained by other factors. However, the study did find that Mozart’s music has a marked calming effect on the mood of listeners.

Despite these findings, many parenting resources and websites continue to support and perpetuate the Mozart Effect and promote it’s effectiveness in aiding the mental development of youngsters.

The theory’s widespread success has also spawned popular products such as Baby Mozart, a line of educational toys aimed at introducing youngsters to music. Many hospital nurseries and children’s daycare centers also play the music for the benefit of the kids.

While there’s no evidence conclusively proving that filling your baby’s room or your iPod with Mozart—or Britney Spears—will make anyone smarter; the good news is that there’s no evidence that there’s a negative effect either.

So while parents may always tell their teens to turn the music down, at least they don’t have to tell them to turn it off and study.