If you’ve read my previous articles, you already know about the advantage of music education for children and how your child will benefit from voice lessons or playing musical instruments. Today we will cover that invisible motivational power that forces some parents to enroll their children in music education.

I suggest that, before you do this, you define exactly what you want from your children. If you’re happy with the idea, they will likely go along well with it, too. Your moods and thoughts imperceptibly creep into the consciousness of your child every hour and minute of the day. Our little family members consider us, their parents, to be the authority in everything. And some of us manage to maintain that authority through the teen years and even until the end of their lives.

When I was writing “Voices of our Children”, I re-read several old records I had kept from previous years. Many of them detailed conversations I had with parents who brought their children to music school for the first time.

The first meeting among parent, child and teacher is very significant. Everyone gets to know each other and things usually go very well in these introductory stages. But according to available statistics, only 1 percent (!) of parents is convinced at the very beginning that their child will become at least a very good musician. The other 99 percent bring their children with this thought: “Let’s do this and then see what comes of it.”

At one of the large conferences for music teachers organized by the Ministry of Culture of Russia in the Far East, I heard a phrase from one of the speakers that particularly drew my attention. He said: “It is a pity that those who are not as dedicated to music education do not hold conferences like these. Imagine how many mistakes could have been avoided during lessons?”

Whatever a person does for a living, in order for him to make a difference, he must have a passion and true zest for what he does. The child is not an exception. Parents know perfectly well that if their child is interested in something, he persistently asks for it. And no one will deny that a child’s true interest in music is a must during lessons and practice homework. So, it’s integral that parents are highly cognizant of their children’s thoughts.

You may be thinking, “Is it really necessary for my child to study with constant interest; that is, with pleasure, all the time?” That’s a good question, because sometimes it is necessary to forget your “wants” and tune in to your child’s natural attraction to (or away from) music.

And certainly, every one of us must struggle and strain and make ourselves do something – even those things that we are passionate about. But this only occurs occasionally. If you force yourself to play music time and time again, you will slip into depression and possibly lose interest in everything, in addition to the dread of practicing homework, etc.

It is impossible to compare the mentality of an adult with that of a child and use yourself as an example, saying something like, “I too do not want to go for work; however, I do.” In comparison to children, our life experience is much larger and our attitude to specific events is far more stable. In other words, we must work in order to make a living; to stay alive! Children do not have to play music to stay alive. So, these are two very different life experiences, and it amazes me that parents sometimes just don’t see it that way.

So if you think it’s time to force your child to prepare for music lessons, by all means do it, but do not make a habit out of it – and if your child is happy with every second lesson, it would be great to make sure that he constantly studies with interest. How can you do this? Hopefully, by finding a very good teacher who, in due time will suggest different ways of working with your child on a distinctly individual basis. It is only through cooperation with the teacher you can constantly promote and support your child’s interest in music. If the options the teacher offers do not work, then make the necessary conclusions and modifications.

Where do parents get the information on how other children are doing at music lessons or prepare for them at home? Is it possible to read about it in books? Can you get the information in libraries?

Certainly, those are good resources, but you don’t have to go that far, necessarily. Parents can hear about this from their child’s teacher. A good teacher of music will openly and happily tell you about other students’ experiences. But the main “news source” for parents is deceptively simple: other parents! The parental exchange of information is invaluable in that they can share stories that happened to their child, and vice versa. This makes it easier for Mom and Dad to compare the achievements of their own children to others. This is where they learn about difficulties in music education, such as when children immediately or gradually lose the interest and desire to study.

Unfortunately for parents, however, this exchange of information and/or the recognition that their child might be losing interest occurs too late, and no one can clearly explain to them the real reasons the child’s interest vanished. And without finding a “quick fix” or a solution to this problem, again, your chances of re-enrolling your child are slim, because he isn’t going to be interested in it! Also, by this time, the next group of parents step into the same “puddle,” and as a result, your child will never complete music education. “What can I do, then?” you ask. I suggest that you learn and try to understand what not to do.

Why is Music Important for Kids?

This question has been debated for as long as time has existed. Even the great Greek and Roman philosophers approached the question: is music something that should be taught and does it help the development of children? Plato answered “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for in the patterns of music and all arts are the keys to learning.” And again “what then is the education to be? Perhaps we could hardly find a better than that which the experience of the past has already discovered, which consists, I believe, in gymnastic, for the body, and music for the mind.”

In all cultures of the world music plays an important role. While these roles may change depending on the culture it is impossible to separate music from the life of an individual. While some may argue the role of music in our lives it is impossible to escape it. Even in the popular culture of Australia it is impossible to go shopping without hearing music. Music provides a means of communication and expression of culture and individual identity.

Children are immersed in music from birth and will be for their entire life. If this is the case why teach it? Is not the constant immersion in music enough? To this I say; is the fact that we witness the results of scientific principals on a day to day basis result in the understanding of those scientific principles? No it does not and likewise for music it does not either. The day to day encounters we have with music can move us but the understanding of this music can help us grow as individuals.

In many cultures the family plays the main role in music education. Families are most commonly the ones that teach children the music of their culture. As young children, we are commonly sung nursery rhymes. These provide entertainment for the child and often information in small repeated fashion. Children learn through the repetition and structure that the information was delivered in. many nursery rhymes teach fundamental life lesson and therefore sets music up as a means of educating. Children learn from music from a young age and will continue to for the rest of their lives. In a world where globalization and consumerism are dominating cultural identities are drifting into the background and children are more likely to be sung pop songs as lullaby’s than nursery rhymes. The benefit of nursery rhymes and progressive learning has become an issue. Children are missing out on fundamental learning opportunities.

The Mozart effect which gained a large following in the 1990’s claimed that listening to Mozart as a baby will make a child smarter. While this movement was short lived and there is little proof that it works there has been no denying that children who learn music will achieve higher in other aspects of their academic life. In earning music children learn to express their identities, gain confidence and develop sense of time and space. A research team at the university of Munster in Germany discovered that students who study music have more developed abstract reasoning skills which are closely linked to learning in the areas of science and maths.

I do not believe that there is any argument to this question…music is a vital part of a child’s education and should be taken seriously. Listening to music is not enough! A child must learn to think musically and that is what will help assist the development of the child and their academic development.

written by Gemma Lee from www.shinemusic.com.au teachers of piano, saxophone, violin, singing, drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, flute and clarinet

Article from: My Family UK

Music education classes can enrich the life of an adult or child in many ways. Children who learn a musical instrument or sing usually perform better on test scores at school.

Music and the family

Learning a musical instrument is a great way to help focus your child’s mind, and start unlocking new channels of creativity. The whole family can benefit from this sort of musical education, as you will watch your child learn and develop, but also be there to encourage them and help them practice. If you’re still unsure, read the following explanations, and see if you feel differently.

1) Self-confidence

For those who have music education classes in school, learning an instrument and playing in a band can be lots of fun. Children as young as eight or nine can be taught how to play a variety of instruments. Bands usually have concerts on a regular basis where the children can play for their parents and others in the school. Interaction during classes and a performance in front of an audience allows the child to build their social skills, and be rewarded with praise for their efforts.

2) Quick thinking

Learning about the value of notes, time signatures, and exits and entrances helps develop the rapid response system of the brain. Translating the notes into hand positions and the beats into seconds will also improve focus, add to mathematical skills, and improve the brain’s analytical faculty.

3) Stress Reduction

Music has widely been regarded as an effective mean to reduce stress. In fact, this is one of the reasons that make music education so popular. Many people actually feel calmer and cheerful when playing music, including children. However, heavy metal or rock music tends to have the reverse effect on many people and it is generally not suitable as a mean for stress reduction.

4) Independence

If there is no music education program offered at a child’s school, their parents can opt to send the child to private lessons. This are just as beneficial, but in a different way. Instead of being part of a band, the child will have to learn to rely on themself when it comes to getting notes right, timing, and the discipline of practising. Of course, their parent can play a large role in this particular area.

Further Information

For further information, and for more great ways to have fun with your family, log on to www.myfamilyuk.com. With a huge collection of articles covering everything from child safety to rainy day activities, you’ll find all the help, guidance and entertainment you need to be a great parent. Go now!

Young children just love music and often it is through music that young children communicate for the first time, whether it be through gesture, smiling or action.

But is there more to it than that?

There is a growing amount of evidence to show that music enhances a childs ability to think, learn, reason and create and it is in the first five years of a child’s life that all of the formative brain development and connections are being formed. Music brain researcher, Dr Gordon Shaw describes music as “a window into higher brain Function”.

Here are three compelling reasons why we should be sending our children to music lessons while they are young.

Reason#1 – Music Makes Children Smarter

Neurologiacal Research indicates that because music involves ratio’s, fractions, and thinking in space and in time that it provides learning not only for foundation musical learning,but also learning for foundation math learning being a pre requisite to learning both these subjects at higher levels.

In a study carried out by Debby Mitchell at the University Of Central Florida it was found that young children with developed rhythm skills perform better academically in early school years.

In a paper compiled at a Music Educators National Conference, 2001, it was noted that high school music students score higher verbal and math score than their peers and in research done by Phi Delta Kappan, 1994 and a paper prepared by Peter H Wood, It was found that Music Majors are the most likely group of college grads to be admitted to medical school.

Reason#2- Music is a recognised form of intelligence

In an article called ” The Changing Workplace is changing our view of education”, Business week, 1996 it was said “The nation’s top business executives agree that arts education programs can help repair weeknesses in American education and better prepare workers for the 21st Century”

Howard Gardner, a renowned Professor of Cognition and Education wrote a book in 1983 called Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, suggests that there are many kinds of human intellegence and identifies musical intellegence to be one of them.

Reason#3 – Skills learned through music can transfer into skills which are useful in every part of a child’s studies at school and can help with general well being.

As Senator Jeff Bingaman said “Music Education can be a positive force on all aspects of child’s life, particularly on their academic success”

It was reported in a Texas Commission on drug and alcohol abuse that secondary students who were involved in band and orchestra reported the lowest life time and current use of all drugs.

Skills learned through the discipline can transfer into study skills, communication skills and cognitive skills useful in every part of a child’s school life and a Harvard university study named the “Mozart Effect” found that spacial- temporal reasoning improves when children learn to make music.

As Michael Greene the Recording Academy President and CEO said at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in February 2000, “Music is a magical gift we must nourish and cultivate in our children, especially now as scientific evidence proves that an education in the arts makes better math and science students, enhances spatial intelligence in newborns, and let’s not forget that the arts are a compelling solution to teen violence, certainly not the cause of it!”

Kids personalized CDs have become popular source of entertainment and education for children. At the same time they are the stimulating agent to generate genuine interest for music in the kids. But, toddlers are naturally fickle-minded and tend to fluctuate with their interest as they come in contact with different situations around them.

Hence, getting proper platform for the children to learn music is not enough, they need constant inspiration and support to develop a long lasting interest for music. Some of the most effective ways of nurturing kids’ interest in songs are discussed.

Strategically Developed Pre-School Curriculum

The pre-schoolers are more inclined toward any activity that gives them a comfortable environment. Hence, it is crucial that the curriculum for the pre-school children should be developed in a way that can support their innate creativity. The songs and rhymes in the syllabus should be selected carefully so that they can provoke interest of the kids in music. Personalized kids music is a better option because they are customized by skilled composer to hold the attention of children in songs.

Teaching Music in Groups

Children enjoy company of their peers and they learn quicker and better when they are surrounded by other children during their music lessons. The pre-schools should encourage the children to develop friendship with others and get along with them to share their unspoken pleasure of learning music together. Children should be taught through kids personalized CDs, which are specially customized and developed to stimulate children’s natural interest in learning and playing music.

Music Education in a Playful Environment

The activity that kids enjoy most during their pre-school days is playing together. Hence, the games are the bet way how one can generate children’s interest in any specific activity. Even when it comes to music, if the lessons are taught in a playful and cheerful environment, they become more enjoyable for the kids and they develop interest in learning it. That’s why the schools could select personalized kids music that the children would sing along with doing actions related to the songs.

Learning Music Through an Interesting Medium

Often, it has been found that kids lose interest in music lessons due to reasons that they can’t explain. But experts are of the view that kids’ interest for learning music is influenced by the way they learn it. Therefore, the learning process is what the children enjoy. These days, kids personalized CDs are available in the market. The CDs can help the pre-school children easily know and learn different genres of songs. They can work better for generating interest of toddlers in their tender age.

A Musical Environment at Home is Crucial

All the training on music apart, it is the surrounding of the kids that makes a lot of difference to their taste of music. Often, parents leave the responsibility of their children’s music education on the teachers. But they shouldn’t forget that a perfect environment at home is essential to encourage their children’s interest in music. To a large extent, it is up to you to give your child the best platform to nurture his/her talent in music.

Apart from developing interest in learning and playing music, it’s important to encourage your child to be creative in music. Once, they feel the joy of music they will develop interest in it. However, when it comes to pre-school children a strategic learning process is crucial to provoke music interest of the kids.

If parents created the necessary environment for their child to develop musical abilities, then they’ve done a good job. But don’t start celebrating the victory just yet the journey towards success has only just begun. Don’t believe those who tell you that musical education is very difficult for children. I guess, in some respect they are correct and it will be difficult if you don’t know how to create, develop and maintain the child’s music interest.

Interest in music does not just appear. Its origin stems from a number of events and circumstances. Parents need to create events and circumstances that will encourage the child to want to take up music.

After creating the environment for your child’s music interest that child will soon be asking you to help him and you know that is an important milestone in their musical development.

If your child keeps asking you to buy him a violin, take him to a music teacher that teaches violin. Don’t take him to a pianist just because they are a good friend of yours and you’ve heard good things about him/her. Also if you wanted to learn to play piano as a child and your dream did not come true, this is not a good reason for your child to start playing piano just to fulfill your dream.

I hope you understand that if your child asks you for a violin, you give it to him. If it is a saxophone, you give him a saxophone, if it is a guitar, you give him a guitar. To make a long story short, give children what they ask for.  This will insure their music interest will continue to blossom. Sometimes children have difficulty choosing one instrument over another. In this case they need your help.  This doesn’t mean asking the teacher for help, they need your help. In order to help them there are five conditions that must be met: you must have a basic knowledge about choosing a musical instrument, you must be patient and attentive and you need to act in a timely manner.

When parents get involved and help a child choose an instrument they will remember it and will appreciate it for the rest of his life, I am planning to write in my next book in the near future. Why is it so important to let the child pick the instrument of their choice? Statistics show that most children who have a music interest and start taking music lessons quit within a year and a half and in 50% of the cases the reason for quitting is a poor choice in musical instruments.

When parents go against the child’s wishes because they think the child is too young to decide on their own, and make a choice for them, it is like playing the lottery. So, if your choice happens to be the right one, your child will succeed and they will play the instrument of your choice with pleasure.  If not, then you will have problems.

Some of the common issues are complaints from the teacher, forcing the child to study, unpleasant lectures, and so on. As a rule there may come a time when your son or daughter says “enough”. It may happen either at the very beginning or in the middle of music classes. Wouldn’t it be better if you made an effort to support and maintain your child’s music interest right from the start? Your child will thank you later.