THE CHILD’S MUSIC-MAKING BEHAVIOR-Part 1
Why Should We Spend Time Helping Preschoolers Discover Music?
Here are a few important reasons:
- Dancing to music and making music helps release stress and energy.
- Music gives children a way to express their emotions. They’re full of emotions they can’t express and dancing around to music is more fun than dealing with a temper tantrums.
- Music makes learning fun! It’s instantly a fun game or an exciting activity.
- Learning music teaches listening skills. It encourages the ability to listen effectively and concentrate. Songs encourage children’s speech and auditory discrimination. Through music, children learn tempos, dynamics, and melodies. Children experience soft sounds, loud sounds, fast music and slow music. They are learning to listen and comprehend.
- Music provides a pleasant background for regular activities. It aids in their relaxation, resting and learning better.
- Music helps develop children’s language skills. Singing songs with children helps them develop those needed early literacy skills. Rhythms in speaking sentences, clapping hands and saying a sentence at the same time, stamping feet and marching and using rhythm instruments develops important pre-reading skills. The more music the children have in their lives, the better they will speak and read.
- Music helps develop children’s self-esteem. Music is non-judgmental. There is no right or wrong, it just is what it is. Listening to different types encourages creativity, self-confidence, and curiosity.
- Music helps develop children’s math skills. A simple song can include basic math skills such as counting, repeating patterns, and sequencing.
- Music helps stimulate children’s brain connections. A recent study from the University of California found that music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking.
- Music and movement go together. Children naturally respond to music by moving and being active. Music helps children learn about rhythm and develop motor coordination.
- Music makes transitions easier. Children move from one activity to another easier when you sing a song. For example, sing “The Farmer in the Dell,” then substitute “It’s time to go to lunch” and you’ll see that the children will get ready much faster. Keep making up verses. “Let’s pick up the toys”… “Now let’s wash our hands,” etc.
- Music encourages creativity in children.
- Music teaches fun ways for all children including special needs children. Music experiences are an effective way to stimulate speech development, provide organization for cognitive and motor development and create a meaningful environment for the children of tomorrow’s society.
- Music is a gift to last a lifetime!
- Music will help children have better control to their bodies as they grow up. They’ll learn movement more quickly, have a better sense of rhythm, and listen to music more effectively.
And finally, despite all of these great things that are happening to children as they enjoy music in preschool, they really do just simply love it and it is fun. And fun translates into a joy that is beneficial to the child overall. After all, picture a class of children who are asked to sit at a desk all day and then picture a class of children who have music incorporated into every lesson. Which group is more likely to be healthy? Sure, these may be extreme examples but when applied to the preschooler’s education; you can see the importance of including music in the day’s curriculum.
It is so wonderful to know how important music is in our lives and in the lives of children. Music does much! It is “special!”