During infancy, parents often use music to soothe and pet children when they cry. Music also does great wonder as a lullaby, because babies enjoy the melody when they are about to sleep.
It is also quite easy to engage and interact with kids through songs. Have you ever wondered why children easily learn songs and enjoy moving to the rhythm of beats?
They easily grasp messages and instructions in songs rather than words. Sequel to this, parents can build on these responses by allowing their kids to have proper music education.
Benefits of Music Education
Music education goes beyond learning the Do-Re-Mi’s; it enhances learning other abilities and skills that are very useful later in life. In this blog post, we take a look at 10 benefits your child would derive from learning music.
- Brain development
Learning music wires the brain circuit in certain ways. It helps to develop reasoning. Memory can also be improved when familiar songs are linked with objects, pictures, and activities. For example, the song formulated for elements in the periodic table is a great rescue for a lot of people.
Preschoolers can find it hard to learn alphabets and several basics but melodious songs have helped easy assimilation. Generally, early introduction of music education accelerates brain development especially in areas of language, reading, and memorizing skills because it helps to easily store and remember things.
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- Language development
Young children are highly receptive to pitch and rhythm. They learn language through pitch and rhythm, so even when your child’s words are not yet clear, he/she tends to copy the tone of songs, sounds, and words. Music develops the part of the brain known to be involved with processing language.
You must be wondering how this works. Try to sing simple, short songs to your child about every activity. Within a short time, your child gets used to the melody and understands the language.
- Improves academic skills
Music is connected with maths in so many ways, and it has been proven that students that understand rhythmic beats and scales find it easy to learn divisions, fractions, and to recognize patterns.
Since maths appears in so many subjects in schools, the study of music will not only help to attain better maths grades but also other maths-related subjects. This is one of the benefits of music education to your child. Learning a musical instrument can also introduce the knowledge of basic Physics. For example, plucking the string on a stringed instrument can teach harmonic and sympathetic vibrations.
- It teaches discipline and patience
Before musical instruments or certain types of songs can be mastered, it takes lots of time and dedication. Therefore, learning about music can teach your child delayed gratification. Kids who just started learning to play an instrument or sing a song will need perseverance of long hours, weeks, months, and even years of practice before reaching the set target.
This could be memorizing a solo or performing with a band for presentation or competition in school. When your child has given up whatever it takes to reach these goals consistently, it will be easy to display discipline in other areas of his/her life, whether in school or at home. Also, since Rome was not built in a day, your child can learn the art of taking one step at a time as he/she learns the art of being patient.
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- It boosts self-esteem
Music education gives children the privilege of appearing in the public for presentation at a young age. This public presentation is an important skill that boosts self-confidence. This could also create an urge for better achievement. It is normal to have stage fright but consistency eradicates fear.
During classes or rehearsals, your child will be corrected and applauded thus gradually learning how to handle feedback. He/she will learn to turn negative feedback into positive changes. This makes him/her better. This process also helps children to understand that there is always room for improvement. These overall dynamics help to build your child’s courage to face the real world.
- It builds teamwork skills
As your child gradually learns music, sings in a choir, and plays instruments, he or she may need to work in a team with others or in bands for musical performances. This cannot be achieved by a person. For example, in a choir, everyone sings different parts to give a melodious effect.
Your child will learn to unanimously work with others. Each person performs a specific role that is linked together to produce a good outcome. This also works with playing an instrument in the band. This prepares your child for the teamwork skills required in his /her workplace when he/she grows up. The ability to work with teams is an important attribute for excelling in many offices today.
- Improved test scores
Findings from music research has shown that students involved in good music education and exposure perform better than those who do not have such exposure. This is because children exposed to music education have better cognitive and non-cognitive skills.
- It improves motor skills
Motor skills are used every day throughout our lives. They are essential skills that help us move and do everything. Having good motor control will help your child explore the world around him/her, which can help with many other areas of development. Many instruments require the use of the hand, fingers, leg, and some other parts of the body. An example of such an instrument is the piano. It requires the combination of eyes for sight-reading notes, fingers on both hands for making rhythms, and the feet for playing the piano pedals.
These skills strengthen the muscles and increase your child’s coordination. So, it becomes less challenging to do other tasks. Many children are frustrated when they are unable to complete a task. The process of learning to play an instrument may not be easy at first but it is worth it. You will begin to observe an improvement in motor skills. These also help in multitasking and learning later in life.
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- It improves concentration and attention
It will be tough for a child to learn even the simplest musical piece without concentration and paying attention to details. Music is not what can be done haphazardly. It requires proper focus. If you involve your child in learning to play one instrument or another, concentration becomes a habit that cuts across every facet of his/her life.
- It makes your child happy
Music gives an emotional balance. It brings happiness and an expression of inner joy. If you want to raise a happy child, introduce music education. It relaxes and makes your child positive towards life.
Music can work as a huge stress relief for children. Within a short while, children are prone to easily forget their unhappiness because of the joy of music. This is indeed a great benefit. A happy child easily forges ahead. An unhappy child can experience depression.
We bet you can’t wait to start exposing your child to music education, and the best way to do it is by enrolling him/her in a school that takes music seriously. The impacts of music exposure are not limited to becoming a great instrumentalist or famous singer. It cuts across the overall development of the child.
