Exposure to music during early development is a great thing for children. There is NEVER a downside to bringing music to a child’s life. It can help them in all areas: intellectual, social, emotional, motor, language, and literacy. Music helps the mind and body work together. Quiet music at naptime can be soothing for infants. Toddlers love to dance and move to music. Preschoolers enjoy singing because at their age they are not self-conscious about their abilities and love to hear themselves “roar!”
Listed below are 6 ways that music can benefit your child’s development.
- Music can strengthen their social skills.
Music class can be a great social learning experience for young children. While making music together, they learn how to work as a team. They learn to cooperate, share, compromise, and concentrate. They learn to communicate with their peers and how to work to a common goal with them. Experts say that children who become involved in music learn important life skills, such as relating to others and how to appreciate rewards that come from working together. They also develop leadership skills and discipline.
- Music can boost brain power and memory.
Studies show that there is a connection between children exposed to music and high academic achievement. Music stimulates the parts of the brain that are related to reading, math, and emotional development. For babies, music can play a part in “wiring” the brain as they are still developing after birth. For older children, music can provide an atmosphere great for studying. High school students who sing or play an instrument scored up to 52 points higher on the SAT then those who do not. Further research shows that participating in music at a young age can improve a child’s memory by stimulating different patterns of brain development.
- Music can build self-confidence.
Children can benefit from group music experiences because it builds self-confidence and forms a sense of community. Lessons give kids a place to accept and give constructive criticism. This positive feedback boosts their confidence levels. Group lessons can help show the students that no one is perfect and everyone has room for improvement.
- Music can teach discipline and patience.
Let’s face it, we all could use a little more patience in life! Playing in a band or orchestra can teach children patience because they have to wait their turn to play. If you don’t wait, you will let your peers down because the music won’t sound right. In waiting for their turn and listening to the other members play, they learn how to respect their peers. Learning to play an instrument also teaches delayed gratification. It takes years to perfect an instrument, with little rewards along the way.
- Music can help development and coordination.
Our ears’ main function is to coordinate balance within our bodies. When things are paced to a musical beat, they are more coordinated. Because, these days, children spend a lot of time in front of video games or computer screens, their motor skills may not be what they should be. This can make participation in sports difficult for some kids. Playing an instrument can be helpful in this department, though. For instance, playing percussion instruments can help develop coordination and motor skills with the movement of hands, arms, and feet. String and keyboard instruments help with ambidexterity because they require different actions from the right and left hands simultaneously.
- Music can teach about other cultures.
Music classes are great for children to learn about different cultures all around the world. They will learn how music has always been a huge part of ceremonies and rituals in Africa. They will learn how African American slaves started blues and jazz music in America. They will learn how important certain instruments are for entertainment in India. And they will learn about the development of the symphony orchestra in Europe. All of these things are important to the history of music!
If you would like to get your young child started in music classes, check out our Music FunTime class at OSMD. Check out our website today for more information!! https://omahaschoolofmusicanddance.com/musicfuntime-omaha-ne/
