The Power of Music
Quite simply, children need music to fully develop, and these days
children have fewer and fewer opportunities for singing in their
lives. Using songs in story times is a wonderful way to involve even
the youngest children in language, and to model that involvement to
parents and caregivers. By encouraging adults to sing with their
children every day, you are helping them build relationships and a
love of language.
Music Powers
the Brain: Simply singing with a child connects neural
pathways, and increases the ability to retain information. In
other words, it builds memory. Music builds a strong sense of
rhythm, which leads to a better ability to understand and
produce language. Singing develops spatial reasoning, which
allows children to recognize patterns and later helps in
problem-solving. Songs are rich in vocabulary and by nature
build phonological awareness.
Music Influences Us:
Advertisers know this! That’s why they spend millions of dollars
on jingles. You can use music to influence children in positive
ways. Using music, you can change a mood, stimulate creativity,
and direct energy toward movement or stillness.
Music Connects Us:
Because music is a language, it can bring together a diverse group
of people, and by simply singing together, give them a shared
experience. You don’t need to know what
the words mean to understand the intention of a song. Until recently
in our human history, people and cultures were connected by the
songs passed down from one generation to the next. This also built a
feeling of community, from work songs to lullabies, nonsense, and
story songs.
Music Transports Us: Music
transports us in time and emotion. It can take us to far away
lands, or back into our own childhoods. As we sing and do fingerplays, we are brought into the child’s world, where
everything is newly discovered.
Music Comforts Us:
Repeating the same songs in story time give children security, and
memories that can be called on to comfort for a lifetime. Starting
your story time with a theme song, singing a lullaby, and using an
ending song are just some of the ways you can provide this musical
comfort. All human beings find comfort in the familiar.
When parents and caregivers sing with their babies and children,
they are calmed and comforted as well.
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