COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT – AMAZING BENEFITS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD MUSIC EDUCATION #1

Modern Brain Research is revealing how neural connections in the brain are activated and strengthened through active music participation. This is especially true in early childhood when the brain is rapidly developing.

Eric Jensen states that Music is ‘part of our built-in, biological design’, and plays a role in developing essential neurobiological systems (“Arts With The Brain In Mind” 2001, p13 ASCD USA }

(https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED453106)

Music activities support cognitive skills that help children organize their thinking and behaviour.

Music helps children solve problems, sort things out and achieve goals.

Research has shown that musicians have higher levels of grey matter volume in their brains, which are directly tied to auditory processing and comprehension.

This means that Music training can help children with their ability to process situations and find solutions mentally.

Learning music involves connecting sound to meaning. Sound is made up of pitch, timing and timbre.

When children are immersed in music, they are listening to these sensory details, which in turn improves their auditory processing ability.

Research has shown that music helps children with listening skills in all areas of learning, not just Music.

It looks as though active participation in music education does for the brain, what exercise does for body fitness.

Songs are learned by using our ears and learning a song takes time, and begins with listening to many repetitions, until it is memorised.

Research shows that the IQ in children improves when they are taught to have larger working memory capacity.

Because learning songs and music is increasing a child’s working memory, it is also increasing their ability to think.

Learning anything properly involves concentration, focus, patience and practice.

In learning Music, children are given the opportunity to concentrate and focus through using listening skills.

Visual material that accompanies the music, such as books, posters, felt boards, can also help.

The ability to concentrate is obviously an important skill that can be strengthened through Music and will translate into other areas of learning.