All of the world’s cultures feature music and singing as it’s an important part of everyday life. Wherever you turn you’ll find music as it’s common in movies, on television, in theatre and on the radio. It’s also featured in everyday events such as ceremonies, parades, celebrations, holidays and places of worship etc. Music is used as a way to express emotions and as a soothing and calming influence on children, with things such as lullabies and nursery rhymes.
As children grow, we find music can positively impact their development by helping improve their social and learning skills. For example, a study at the University of Southern California found that music can accelerate a child’s brain development, especially when it comes to the areas of language, mathematical, and reading skills.
We have been taking our child for music lessons for several years now and have seen the benefits first hand. She takes guitar lessons and is now addicted to buying guitars from The Arts Music Store, an online music store in Canada. Learning to play music has so many more benefits that surfing the internet or playing video games.
In fact, music can also help a child’s emotional and social development along with their academic skills and sees the mind and body work together as one. There are numerous positive aspects to listening to and playing music along with simply having it provide us with joy and happiness. Children can express themselves by playing music as they relate to the sounds of it at an early age. You’ll often see youngsters swaying, moving and trying to dance and sing along to music before they can even walk and talk.
When children need to be soothed or stimulated it’s often achieved through different types of music. They also become familiar with the repetition of words and often memorize them while learning their meaning. For instance, all kids quickly learn how to sing ‘Happy Birthday to You’ and various nursery rhymes and memorize the words at an early age. In addition, youngsters aren’t inhibited or self-conscious when it comes to singing along with others as it comes naturally to them. They become familiar with the lyrics, harmonies, melodies, beats, and rhythms and are eager to participate.
Since children are so receptive to music it’s an ideal way for them to learn the meaning of words as well as skills such as spelling, counting, and memorizing a specific sequence of events. As they grow older their appreciation for different types of music usually develops and progresses, but they never forget the original songs they learned as infants. As children quickly become teenagers they usually have their favourite types of music and often form friendships with peers who share the same likes and dislikes.
Many youngsters become so attached to their musical surroundings that they decide to pursue it further by taking singing or music lessons. This allows them to express themselves even further artistically as they grow in self-confidence and discipline. There are virtually no negatives at all associated with music as it’s something we’ve become so accustomed to throughout all aspects of life. There’s no better way to develop a child’s vocabulary, memory, emotions, cognitive skills, motor skills and form of self-expression than music.
And we shouldn’t forget the parents’ role in all of this as they have the opportunity to introduce their children to musical sounds as early as they choose. They can use music and lyrics as a teaching tool and enable their children to develop their minds and bodies in a positive, joyous environment. A stronger bond can also be created between them through a shared love of music which will often last a lifetime.