10 Reasons Why Your Pre-Schooler Should Take Music Lessons

At birth, babies understand language as if it was music. They respond to the rhythm and melody of language before they understand what the words mean.

Here are 10 reasons why it’s important to surround your kids with music from birth (or before!) and why we are so passionate about offering fun group music classes to Auckland families.

“Taking toddlers to a well-structured, high-quality music class each week will build the musical skills that have been found to be so effective in learning to read.” - MISTY ADONIOU, LINGUISTICS RESEARCH, UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA

1. It will help them read

Neuroscience has found a clear relationship between music and language acquisition. Put simply, learning music in the early years of schooling can help children learn to read.

Music can also give us clues about a child’s struggles with reading. Research has found three- and four-year-old children who could keep a steady musical beat were more reading-ready at the age of five than those who couldn’t keep a beat.

2. It makes kids smarter

Boosts 'fluid intelligence. The ability to think abstractly and solve problems has been found to be significantly higher in musicians who have started formal music training at a young age. How? Your brain is a muscle. When you give it more challenging exercises, you’re strengthening your brain’s abilities to learn and grow. When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout.

3. It gives kids confidence and social skills

Joining a musical group at any age encourages you to develop relationships with new kinds of people. It also builds skills in leadership and team-building, as well as showing you the rewards of working with others.

4. It develops fine motor skills

Playing on a toy drum set or a colorful xylophone can help your child hone their fine motor skills. Those skills are important so it’s a good idea to support their interest in music any way you can.

5. It helps boost coordination

Music is important for kids’ coordination in so many ways. There is the coordination of hand-to-eye movements that playing an instrument can help develop.

But even if a child doesn’t play an instrument, they can improve their coordination from listening to music. When they hear the beat of a beloved or energetic song, children have a natural tendency to want to dance. Dancing is a great way to help with their balance and coordination.

It gives you an excuse to have an impromptu dance party with your child. Not only will they reap the benefits, but you will too. You’ll be burning calories, helping with your heart health, and having some great laughs and bonding moments with your child.

It doesn’t matter if your child is 2 or 10, they’ll love the spontaneity and fun of having a dance party — it might become one of their favorite memories.

6. It helps kids be better at mathematics (!?)

When children learn to play instruments and read sheet music, they are improving their math ability. Research backs that up — children who play instruments score higher as a whole on their math tests.

While playing an instrument won’t create a math genius, it can help to reinforce any natural talent your child has in that department.

7. It helps improve our memory

Researchers have found that learning to play a musical instrument can enhance verbal memory, spatial reasoning, and literacy skills. Playing an instrument makes you use both sides of your brain, which strengthens memory power.

8. It encourages creativity

Music certainly nurtures kids’ creative side. This can have an impact on their futures. The Arts Education Partnership states, “Employers identify creativity as one of the top five skills important for success in the workforce (Lichtenberg, Woock, & Wright, 2008).” The partnership also suggests originality and flexibility are benefits of music education because they are key components of the creativity and innovation music requires. Finally, graduates from music programs report that creativity, teamwork, communication, and critical thinking are skills and competencies necessary in their work, regardless of whether they are working in music or in other fields.

9. Foster patience and pride

Much is still being researched in this area but we do know that music helps kids focus in some way. Some schools have classical music playing quietly in the background to help students remain on task during seatwork.

10. Playing music is fun!

We can harp on about all the scientifically accurate benefits to learning a musical instrument – but what matters most is that it’s enjoyable for the player. While other hobbies like watching TV or flicking through social media are passive, playing music actively engages and stimulates the brain, making you feel happy and occupied.

Our preschool classes are fun, funny, stimulating and a wonderful way for parents to engage and connect with their children and create lasting memories and traditions. Contact us today for more information. We’d love you to join our happy musical family!