A very big part of any pre-school program is music, but nowadays with schools on tight budgets and cutting back or even cutting out music programs, perhaps this statement should say “should be music” and not “is” – unfortunately! The gift of music is one of the best things we can give our children.
Music is an integral part of our culture. Music has been everywhere since the beginning of time – the singing of the birds, the gurgling sounds of a rushing stream, a crackling fire, the pitter-patter of the rain, the solo in the morning of the barnyard rooster, the chorus of the chickens in the brood, the whispers of the gentle breezes and probably a favourite to many is the washing of the ocean waves onto the sand. Music stimulates thinking and provides a creative outlet for children and they can express their individuality in so many ways. Music cheers us up. Music can be soothing. It can provide a future career when a musical talent is recognised and fostered. Someone once wrote that “music is a health food that nourishes our soul”. What would this world be like without music?
Musicians Pam Beall and Susan Nipp remind us that babies are soothed and comforted by lullabies and as they grow they are charmed by the rhythm, rhyme, repetition and the melody of the nursery rhyme songs. As early as the 1500’s children’s rhymes were documented and they have indeed endured. What is this telling us? We are never too old to listen to them and enjoy them. Learning nursery rhymes is so important to the reading process of learning rhyming families of words which all have the same endings – cat, rat, fat, pat, sat, that, flat.
Music can help enable students to develop attitudes, characteristics and intellectual capacities. Music education teaches self-discipline, reinforces self-esteem and fosters thinking skills. Music can be so helpful in teaching the learning disabled child. Music helps to enhance your cultural values as you teach ethnic songs from your heritage to your child.
Parents can be good role models in providing opportunities for music experiences and music appreciation at home. There are so many ways to expose your child to music – instruments, CD’s, I Pod’s, DVD’s, videos, radio and TV. Best of all, is your child singing with you and having fun doing it. Those are memories that last and are so meaningful. Enjoy the sound of music!
Music is a universal language. In a book I have and use, called ‘Learning Through Fun’ (Inter-Action’s Prof Dogg’s Troupe) by Ed Berman, MBE, we learn the following:
All songs that children sing, teach them physical (rhythmic) co-ordination along with social and language skills which are, of course by-products of the simple act of singing. Games songs do this more than other types of songs because of their creative structure. They can be played around with and changed, added to or acted out.
Children naturally want to use language and the use of language is the key to most further learning. Motivation to use language is part of creative playing and singing and the child’s desire to explore. Songs as games, build on these natural capacities.
Many things can happen when children do something as seemingly simple as singing a game-song together.
They can be:
• Learning to listen to others
• Taking turns
• Having a feeling of security in a group
• Speaking up in a group
• Co-operating with their peer group
• Making decisions to change a word or action
• Accepting that changes are permissible within a set of rules
• Using their imagination both physically and verbally
• Enabling leadership to emerge
• Thinking up responses
• Practising verbal skills and vocabulary
• Developing muscular co-ordination and rhythmic ability
In summary there are four categories of skills:
1. Communication skills
2. Social skills
3. Language skills
4. Emotional development (expression of fear, laughter and pleasure).
All of this adds up to game-songs being particularly useful in developing confidence and a range of basic skills. The nicest thing about it, when all the analysis is over, is that game-songs are simply a great deal of fun.
Game-songs encourage children to play inventively with the words of songs and to make up new versions. They present many opportunities for children and adults to choose their own actions, sounds and words within the basic frame work of each game-song. Just like children’s games they have themes of fantasy or reality or a mixture of both.
Game-songs are great for children with special needs. Game-songs can be ritual songs, action songs, sound – effect songs, acting out songs, parading songs, gathering together songs and dancing songs.
More:
- Learning Styles
- Multiple Intelligences
The self-confidence that the child gains by learning something so easily that he or she thought could not be learned, cannot be underestimated. In other words, children learn so fast through music! You would not find many lessons in my classroom without some aspect of the 3 R’s. What a shame to send a child to a school that has cut out a music program for little ones because of budgetary reasons. Just think of the opportunities they are missing in their education.
REFERENCE: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1417613-the-importance-of-music-for-children/
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