Music has a strong influence on our culture as a whole: it’s in films, television, on the radio, during holidays and celebrations. Music can be an integral part of your child’s life. Today we’ll be looking at how music can benefit your child.
The benefits of music
A study was done in 2016 at the University of Southern California’s Brain, and Creativity Institute found that music in a child’s life from an early age can help brain development in the areas of language and reading. The National Association of Music Merchants Foundation also found that learning to play an instrument can help a child’s development in mathematics and can even increase their SAT scores.
Academic achievements aren’t the only benefits of learning an instrument, however. School readiness is something that all parents strive for their children. Music can help aid the development of skills for school readiness, including intellectual, social-emotional, motor, language, and literacy development. Music, in general, helps the mind and the bodywork as one.
As children grow, exposing them to music teaches them that sounds and words have specific meanings. Dancing to the music helps children build their motor skills, allows them to practice healthy self-expression, and strengthens people’s memory skills.
Music: a safe way to feel emotions
Children feel emotions in a more significant way than we do as adults. Some people just want to name a specific emotion, deal with it, and move on, but kids aren’t like that. Music allows children to express themselves in a healthy way that wouldn’t be available otherwise. When they feel safer and more secure in their own emotions, they have an easier time explaining what’s wrong. Feelings aren’t supposed to be scary; they’re supposed to be a tool to use when you need them.
Children feel the music through their bodies, not only in their minds. Body movement can also closely be related to emotional regulation. Children feeling big emotions can use body movement as a natural way to process their feelings and maybe allow them to talk about them later. Feelings, as stated previously, shouldn’t be scary. They’re essential tools to be used when necessary. Instilling in your child through the power of music that feelings are important is essential.
Dr. Edward S. Thalheimer is the President and Founder of The Tutoring Franchise Corp. For our part, we here at The Tutoring Center® are continuing to provide one-to-one instruction combined with The Rotational Approach to Learning® to prevent children from slipping through the cracks academically. Our programs help children achieve long-term success, build concentration and focus, and, with our outstanding instructors, find the love of learning. Don’t let your child fall behind this school year. If you’re interested in learning more, visit our website at TutoringCenter.com.