Music Is Shown To Raise The IQ Of Young Students
While up to 95% of US parents believe that music is an important part of early childhood education, many schools around the country are cutting back on their music departments to save money. Unfortunately, when times get tough, and money gets short, the first programs to go are usually music, art and physical education.Most parents will also agree that music class was one of the most fun as they grew up. But that isn't the only reason that students need music in their schools. Scientific evidence has shown that when students have regular music education they develop better math skills, better critical thinking, and a higher IQ than students that don't.
In fact, researchers have taken CAT scans of children while they're learning music and discovered that one-half of the brain processes the words to the songs while the other half of the brain processes the music. This helps children learn to synchronize the two halves of the brain and is crucial for early childhood development.
Involving Movement
Learning to move to the music in a rhythmic way stimulates the mind and reinforces the language portion of the frontal lobes. Since the frontal lobes grow the most between ages two and six, that is when it's most important to involve children in music, movement and singing to reinforce language understanding in later years.Those Timeless Childhood Song
"Frere Jacques" is one of those timeless favorite preschool songs. It can be sung in both English and French which makes it especially fun and educational. For more advanced learning it can also be sung in choruses which will help to teach students to stay focused on their task regardless of what they hear."Itsy Bitsy Spider" is a great song because it has a set group of hand movements that tie in perfectly with the story in the song. This takes some coordination to achieve and is an excellent learning tool. By giving kids hand and body movements to do during a song it helps keep them from getting bored sitting in their chairs while singing.
"The Alphabet Song" is truly a timeless classic that will survive millennia because it also helps to teach kids the alphabet at the same time. When children learn, it's always better that they have multiple reinforcements of the same concepts in order to make the memories last a lifetime.
At our preschool, our teachers regularly add singing, music and dance throughout the children's time at school. Beyond that, though, we feel music is so important that we have a professional come in regularly for "music time" with the kids. The positive impact on your child's brain is so vast - how could we not?
Learn More About The Child Study Center
You can find us at:
Child Study Center
400 Heath Street
Brookline, MA 02467
(617) 731-7039
