Why Educate Children Through Music?
WHY IS
MUSIC IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SO IMPORTANT?
As Donna Wood, one of the Canadian pioneers for early childhood music has
said, "Music is like the sun - its rays can touch all areas of development"
(quote from "Move, Sing, Listen, Play" by Donna Wood.) What are some of
those benefits?
Physically - develops fine and gross motor skills, coordination and body
awareness.
Emotionally - enhances self-esteem, releases joy and provides an outlet for
emotions. It can also be an excellent vehicle for bonding with your child..
Intellectually - develops language and reading skills, spatial reasoning,
concentration, memory and imagination
Socially - offers a natural tool through which relationships and cooperation
can be developed, and gives children a sense of belonging.
Musically - introduces children to music concepts such as Beat, Tempo,
Dynamics, Rhythm, Pitch, and Melody, which is an excellent foundation for
learning an instrument in the future.
Along with the developments which we see in children throughout a session,
parents often tell us about the benefits they are observing at home. The
following is a quote from one parent:
"My 2 year old daughter loves music and I love how it helps her grow. She
not only has fun, but I believe the classes have helped her with language
development, self-confidence, and self-expression." .......by Penny Fiddes
Try this
the next time you are having a hard time getting your child to co-operate
when having to do a task:
Instead of verbally stating what it is you want done, in a parental
demanding way, try singing your instructions to the tune of a favourite
nursery rhyme.
For example, rather than say, "Clean your room now or else no playing
outside!"
Try singing it to the tune of "Mary had a little lamb".....
"It is time to clean your room, clean your room, clean your room, It is
time to clean your room or we cannot go outside"
The act
of listening to music has been found to significantly improve general
listening skills, increase attention and promote expression of thoughts
and feelings.
Adding a simple melody line or rhythm to your daily routine can help
stimulate your child's creativity, raise their interest in the message you
are trying to get through to them, and activate both the right (musical,
artistic) and left (analytical, language) sides of the brain.
-Excerpt taken from the book "Nurturing Your Child Through Music" by John
Ortiz.