Whether your kid loves Mozart or the Baby Shark tune, music is something that almost every kid naturally loves. But beyond pure listening pleasure, learning music helps boost your child’s development in so many ways.
Music boosts language and literacy
“A child picks up reading and writing skills through oral language. In the same way, music provides a child with a strong background in picking up languages and literacy in the long run,” explains Dr Carol Loy, director of Curriculum & Professional Development at Kinderland, a preschool that adopts a music-infused curriculum, and which believes that learning music from a young age can help to stimulate the left and right sides of the brain.
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Music improves communication skills
“Learning music engages multisensory skills when your child watches, feels, and hears a musical piece,” Dr Loy says. “This training develops the section of a child’s brain which is responsible for the communication skills required to speak and read.”
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Music enhances physical and cognitive development
“The rhythm and movement in music boosts a child’s motor and reasoning skills,” Dr Loy adds. “It also improves their memory, concentration, spatial intelligence, and thinking skills.”
Related: How Singapore arts-integrated preschools help kids learn better
Music helps character development
“Learning an instrument not only teaches perseverance and patience, it also requires one to be organised in terms of time management,” Dr Loy explains.
“As quality of practice time is more valuable than the quantity, this in turn forces a child to organise his or her practice time more efficiently to progress quicker. Good time management helps your child to inculcate a sense of responsibility.”
Passive listening vs active learning
Dr Loy points out that there are differences between passively listening to music and actively engaging through hands-on practice and participation.
“Some children learn better from actual hands-on musical experiences while others learn better from listening to music.
“At Kinderland, we adopt a mix of hands-on and listening exercises for our Children’s Music Programme but ultimately, the choice depends on a child’s learning style.”
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