As a parent, you’re concerned with child development from the moment you find out you’re pregnant. You scour the internet looking for ways to improve your child’s skill set. You sign up for different classes to push them in all the right places.
Yet with so much to choose from, how are you sure you’re signing up for the right things?
Sports promise team building and coordination. Computer based classes push STEM concepts.
But what about music? How about piano playing?
It doesn’t take a lot of research to discover music has a profound effect on human development. Looking back throughout time, music has always been a part of our lives. We use music for enrichment, for its calming factors. We’ve used music to tell stories.
That’s because music builds neural pathways throughout the brain. Neurologists who study this believe it has a whole range of benefits, from problem solving to better memory skills throughout a child’s life.
Have you heard of the Mozart effect? Simply stated, the research behind this says that children who listen to classical music are smarter. As they listen, it builds a child’s sense of hearing and the ability to process the sounds as it hears it. The distinct patterns in highly skilled works of art can increase cognitive performance.
While it is truly difficult to determine if music puts your child on a different path, making them smarter, there is solid proof it does improve child development. It helps develop skills such as:
- Language skills, including increased ability to pick up foreign languages
- Stress reduction skills, which can help with anxiety and mood regulation
- Patience and discipline
- Fine motor skills
- Improved memory and concentration
- Self confidence and self esteem
- Higher scores on tests
Yes, having music in your child’s life will influence your child’s behavior. The sooner you make it a part of their daily lives, the more they can gain. Babies are musical. They love to listen and even play with all kinds of musical instruments. Studies show that when you start playing before the age of seven, it changes the way the brain forms and grows. That stays with a child for life.
Is it time to give your child the gift of piano playing?
