A variety of lifelong benefits have been found in music learning
Music is more than an art form, it’s a way of life. The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is a not-for-profit association that promotes the benefits of making music. Research has found that learning music facilitates learning across the
When school administrators factor budgets, music education is often one of the first activities cut from the curriculum due to funding. By cutting music programs, educators are robbing kids of several benefits and achievements music provides. Studies have proven that kids benefit greatly from music, including achieving better grades, improving social skills and developing self discipline.
No matter whether you’re a child or an adult, when you listen to music, your brain becomes more engaged and active. However, when you play an instrument, your brain gets more of a “full body workout,” according to studies. In the video below, Anita Collins (TED ED) explains the fireworks that go off in musicians’ brains when they play. The video also examines some of the long-term positive effects of this mental workout. These benefits can have a huge impact on a child’s life as they learn to play from an early age.
Music strengthens the areas of the brain that, in the child with ADHD, are weak. Music builds and strengthens the auditory, visual/spatial, and motor cortices of the brain. These areas are tied to speech and language, reading, reading comprehension, math, problem solving, brain organization, focusing, concentration, and attention issues. Studies indicate that when learning-disabled children and children with ADHD learn a musical instrument, attention, concentration, impulse control, social functioning, self-esteem, self-expression, motivation, and memory improve. Some studies show that children who have difficulty focusing when there is background noise are particularly helped by music lessons.
Parents have heard about the specific benefits of classical music for developing minds and calming babies for decades — imagine a mother playing Mozart through headphones stretched over her pregnant belly — but the scientific debate has continued to rage.
This is kid is quite the piano prodigy.
If your parents forced you to practice your scales by saying it would “build character,” they were onto something. The Washington Post reports that one of the largest scientific studies into music’s effect on the brain has found something striking: Musical training doesn’t just affect your musical ability — it provides tremendous benefits to children’s emotional and behavioral maturation.
Whether your child is the next Beyonce or more likely to sing her solos in the shower, she is bound to benefit from some form of music education. Research shows that learning the do-re-mis can help children excel in ways beyond the basic ABCs.
Music Therapy is the clinical and evidenced-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. Music therapy is a well-established allied health profession similar to occupational therapy and physical therapy.
New Kids On The Block – This One’s For The Children is extra special. Enjoy!