Children have a deep connection with music – a lullaby can put a baby to sleep; a melody can excite a toddler. Music aids kids at every step of the way. Engaging in musical activities becomes even more critical for the kid’s holistic growth.
Music is undeniably the most life-enriching subject of all. It is a fundamental pillar of arts that triggers emotional responses, kickstarts creativity, and develops a child’s talent and passion like no other. Education experts have relentlessly emphasized the correlation between musical activity and academic success. However, the pros of music don’t just end there.
The gift of music education contains endless benefits for a child. It powers up a child’s brain, improves their social skills, enhances their overall physical coordination, gives them a new perspective of the world, and so much more. While it’s okay to encourage your child to participate in music in later years, starting them off helps maximize the far-reaching benefits of music by building a lifelong connection to it. Here are seven reasons parents should make music an indispensable part of their kid’s life:
#1 Music Exercises The Brain
Neuroscience research shows that students enrolled in music classes for kids in Colorado showcase significant progress in brain activity than people not involved in music training. Several studies have proven that musical language positively impacts a child’s overall development. According to WebMD, musical training makes children brainier by developing the left side of their brain associated with language and reasoning. In simpler terms, playing a musical instrument or humming a rhythm exercises the brain, causing heightened neural activity that increases a kid’s IQ.
#2 Music Relieves Stress
A school environment features exams, deadlines, instructors, a strict code of conduct, and several other stressors that make music a necessity in early life. There’s no questioning the ability of music to uplift a child’s mood or relax them. Happiness and contentment are guaranteed after-effects of musical activity. According to Stanford University research, music at 60 beats per minute can relax a kid’s mind, while listening to it for over 45 minutes can induce sleep. Therefore, parents shouldencourage kids to get involved in a musical session after a long day of studying to calm the mind and enhance concentration.
#3 Music Inspires Creativity
Creativity is one of the top five skills employers look for in their workforce. Music nurtures a kid’s creative side by stimulating their imagination. How does this stimulation take place? Well, creativity and innovation are critical components of music education. These two elements come together to induce originality and flexibility in a child. Working with music also helps a kid build critical thinking skills and competencies. Parents must encourage their children to learn a musical instrument or enroll in a music class to find the way to their creative zone and excel in other fields of their academic life too.
#4 Music Boosts Self-Confidence And Self-Esteem
Unlike other subjects, music is fun. Therefore the goals a kid establishes in this subject are also exciting. When children work towards these goals and achieve them, they develop a sense of satisfaction, which improves their self-esteem. Moreover, musical activities put kids in situations where they voice their opinions, and their interests are heard and valued by others. This sense of acceptance instills a significant amount of self-confidence in children. This confidence further heightens when music challenges a child to take risks and face challenges in the shape of a new song, a new tune, a new lyric. All in all, children can realize their full potential while enjoying the journey of learning music.
#5 Music Develops Social Skills
Children are seldom alone in a music training class or course. Often, kids form bands, sing in a choir, and compose lyrics in a group. These activities introduce a child to vital social skills like teamwork, interaction, and bonding. Kids learn to create lasting friendships and share their passion with like-minded people. In a digital era where children are increasingly inclined towards sitting alone and communicating online, music becomes their refreshing return to in-person contact. Working in a group with people teaches kids commendable social cohesion and harmonious interaction, instilling a sense of unity in them.
#6 Music Offers Self-Expression
There is no better way of managing feelings than expressing them through music. Musical instruments offer children externalizing their emotions through melody and lyrics. This sense of expression is healthy, and most kids tend to develop self-awareness in the process. Music compositionenhances a child’s level of self-expression by giving them a chance to choose lyrics that resonate with them. The best gift parents can share with their children is the ability to truly and fully express themselves to the outside world in the language of songs.
#7 Music Improves Memory
Humans have exceedingly started to rely on technology to do their work instead of depending on their capabilities. Almost everyone these days is setting up alarms, calendar reminders, and more because technological advancement has made human bodies lazy and brains forgetful. In this era of distractions, music helps children slow down and improve their focus, as it requires a sharp memory at both the psychological and physical levels. There aren’t many technologies available to help people memorize lyrics or remember chords. Therefore, when kids get involved in music, they exercise their memory skills, stretching them to infinite limits.
Final Thoughts
While students learn many cognitive and technical skills from curriculum subjects in school, music education allows students to focus on their spiritual and emotional wellbeing. Music has also helped many individuals cultivate life skills such as empathy, compassion, collaboration, and leadership.
Kids these days are so sensitive; almost every child faces a problem identifying their true selves and expressing their voice. Music encourages these kids to look beyond the normal and believe that they hold a special place in the community.
However, parents mustn’t force a music activity on their kids because they feel it’s the best. Children start to repel enforced things. The best outcomes come from musical activities kids wholeheartedly accept. They tend to appreciate the art of learning more when they’re allowed the freedom to choose any musical activity they like.
Indeed, providing kids with music education is extremely valuable. Whether it’s in the form of singing a song, organizing impromptu dance sessions, playing a musical instrument, or scheduling structured musical activities with other kids – music truly brings out the best in kids.
