Author: Dan Cropper

Music education is not just about playing an instrument or singing in a choir. It goes far beyond that—children with a passion for music and learning instruments will likely develop into well-rounded individuals; we’ve witnessed the full cycle many times! Whether your child is just starting school or is well on their way, music education can help them in more ways than you might think.

The Benefits of Music Education

Studies have shown that music education can positively impact children’s cognitive development. Playing an instrument or singing in a choir can enhance children’s language skills, memory, and reasoning abilities. By exposing children to music education early on, parents and educators can give them an advantage in these areas that will last a lifetime.

But the benefits of music education go beyond cognitive development. Children who participate in music classes and/or children’s music lessons can develop a range of life skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. 

The Benefits of Music Education – Discipline, Teamwork, and Perseverance, Oh My!

Discipline is an essential life skill that can be learned through music education. Children who take music lessons or attend music classes must practice regularly to improve their skills; this requires discipline, focus, and dedication, which can carry over into other areas of their lives, such as schoolwork and sports.

Music education also teaches children about teamwork and the importance of clear communication. Children must work together to create something beautiful, whether part of a choir or a band; this requires communication, collaboration, and respect for others. These skills are valuable in music and any group setting, such as team sports or collaborative classroom projects.

Perseverance is another valuable life skill that can be learned through music education. Learning to play an instrument or sing in a choir takes time and effort, and undoubtedly, lots of STICK–TO–ITIVENESS is needed to find success. Children who stick with it and continue to practice and improve will reap the rewards of their hard work; this instills a sense of perseverance that will help them well in all areas of their lives.

The Benefits of Music Education – Emotional Development

In addition to the aforementioned life skills, music education can positively impact children’s emotional development. Playing an instrument or singing in a choir can reduce stress and anxiety and improve overall mood, as it’s a form of self-expression. Music allows children to explore their emotions and express themselves in ways they might not be able to otherwise.

Music education can also be a great way for children to build confidence and self-esteem. Performing in front of others can be nerve-wracking, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. When children see a positive response from others, it can boost their confidence and help them feel good about themselves!

Of course, these benefits are in addition to the simple joy of making music. Playing an instrument or singing in a choir can be a fun and fulfilling hobby that children can enjoy for their entire lives. And who knows? It could even lead to a career in music or the arts!

Check out our testimonials page to learn more about our music education programs and how music can change your child’s life!

Are you ready to get your groove on with your little ones? Let’s dive into the world of music and movement for preschoolers and explore the incredible benefits of early music exposure!

Children are wired to respond to music from the moment they’re born. Music and movement can help promote physical development, encourage creativity, and enhance cognitive and emotional growth. So why not use this amazing tool and get your preschooler involved with music!?

Early exposure to music can profoundly impact a child’s development. In fact, children who engage in regular music classes and children’s music lessons often show improved language skills, greater memory retention, and better social skills. And remember the physical benefits – dancing and moving to music can improve coordination and balance and even help with gross motor skills.

So what are some strategies for incorporating music and movement into your child’s routine? Start by exposing them to a variety of musical genres and styles. Let them find their favorites, whether classical, jazz, or pop music; as long as there’s rhythm and sound, we’re all good! And no, it doesn’t need to be Raffi, but we love him too. 

You can incorporate movement into your child’s daily routine by encouraging them to dance, jump, and play to music. Make it a game by asking them to follow the rhythm or create their own dance moves. The key is to make it fun and engaging so they want to keep returning for more.

Music and Movement for Preschoolers – It’s About Fun 

Don’t worry if you’re not a musical genius or know much about music as all – you don’t have to be. Preschoolers don’t need to know about music theory, nor should they! The point of early music exposure for children is to “feel” the music, not necessarily comprehend why or how it exists. 

In addition to the physical and cognitive benefits, music and movement can positively impact a child’s emotional development. Music can help soothe and calm children when they’re feeling anxious or upset while providing an outlet for self-expression.

So whether you’re a parent, grandparent, or caregiver, it’s never too early (or too late!) to start incorporating music and movement into your child’s routine. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by what a little music can do for your young child’s well-being.

Click to learn about our music classes for babies and toddlers, Jam-Baby!

It’s never too late, (or too early) to learn to play an instrument! That said, it does take some coordination, concentration and commitment. Through the years, we’ve honed in on 3 factors that lead to the most successful outcomes and experiences for our youngest students:

Motivation

When a child is motivated to play an instrument, they feel more empowered and in charge of their experience which leads to more satisfaction and success.

Fine motor skills

While kids as young as 3 can start on piano (and sometimes violin), it’s important to make sure your child has strong fine motor skills to improve their initial success. Basic rule of thumb; if your child can write the letters of the alphabet (even sloppily) they can play an instrument!

Attention span

A child needs to remain engaged for 20-30 minutes to be successful in private lessons.

If you don’t think your child is ready quite yet, you should find a group music class that will give your child a musical foundation. Classes that teach basic music concepts including the musical alphabet, note values, rhythms and more using games and popular songs can help give your child a head start when they are ready for lessons. Check out our Wellesley Music Class offerings here.

Rhythm is an integral part of playing any piece of music, and it’s important that students get a solid foundation in rhythmic notation from the beginning. Often times, rhythm is explained in a mathematical context (i.e “two 8th notes are equal to one quarter note). Although it is key that students understand these mathematical relationships, they can be complicated to translate into the context of sound.

I came across this cool method created by Michiko Yurko that uses stick notation and word association to teach rhythm. The method uses a specific word for each type of rhythm as well as a hand symbol. The pronunciation of the words naturally fit the rhythm of the notation. Michiko has created a word for almost every rhythmic notation imaginable. You can find Michiko’s books/games/workshops at MusicMindGames.com.

Basic Rhythms

Quarter Note= “blue”

Two 8th Notes= “jello”

Triplet 8th Notes= “pineapple”

Four 16th Notes= “huckleberry”

Check out this video by Andrew Ingkavet for a demonstration!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the best ways to introduce sight-reading to students (particularly younger musicians). One of the most common ways music is taught to be memorized is with mnemonics. We all know “All Cows Eat Grass” for bass clef spaces, and “Every Good Boy Does Fine” for treble clef lines etc. It’s also common for students to learn notes with flashcards or other memorization techniques. Although these methods are helpful for some, I have found that it’s useful to explore other methods of sight-reading that are more musical and pattern based.

Why I don’t believe mnemonics are helpful (for most kids): 

Hard to Remember

Students don’t remember which of the 4 mnemonics fit which clef and whether they refer to lines or spaces.

Extra Step in Process

For students who are still learning to read words this creates an extra step (i.e if they are remembering bass clef spaces with “All Cows Eat Grass,” they first have to remember which letter “Grass” starts with and then apply it musically). I have found that this adds confusion and is not helpful in the process. 

Not musical

These mnemonics have no connection to anything musical or pattern related.

Techniques I have found more helpful:

Identify Direction of High/Low

First start by identifying the patterns of high and low sounds. On piano it is not immediately apparent that notes going lower mean that you go to the left on the piano and visa versa. Here is a simple game I created to identify high and low patterns High/Low Game.

Identify steps and skips

Susan Paradis has a great game for identifying steps and skips called Step Skipping Along. Even if a student doesn’t know every note they can still play pieces by identifying intervals.

Step-wise reading

Music reading is all about following patterns and the direction of the music. I love this sight-reading exercise from Pianimation called Sight Reading Cards.

Small Chunks

Eventually we do want students to be able to identify notes independently. If you are to use flashcards, I love these fly flashcards. I don’t use all the cards at once though, we’ll start with just spaces in treble clef and then only lines in treble clef etc. My students love hitting the cards with a fly swatter as I call them out. Click here to download Fly Flashcards.

Don’t Give Out The Notes

When a student doesn’t know a note encourage them to figure it out on their own by finding a note they already do know and counting the lines from that note. This also makes much more sense visually and musically. You can remind them that the line in between the dots in bass clef is an F, and the treble clef symbol wraps around a G. 

Stairstep Game

This game makes great musical sense by encouraging students to see notes as they lie on the staff Musical Alphabet Mystery.

It is very common for beginning students to memorize music quickly or figure it out by ear, and stop actively reading the notes when playing. This is a natural tendency because we start with simple, stepwise songs (songs that go up and down a scale with no skips between the notes), with melodies and finger patterns that that are very easy to commit to memory. 

It’s important to note that ear training and memorization skills are highly valuable skills! The challenge is that if students try to memorize music before they have really learned it (or just memorize bar by bar) they are not learning to sightread to their fullest capacity. When we approach harder material it will be difficult to read if the sight-reading skills haven’t been developed with the beginning material. This can lead to frustration and boredom when a student’s playing ability exceeds their reading ability.

Below are tips to make sure your student is actively reading the notes while playing:

Don’t stay too long on songs

Choose which songs are for practicing reading and which are the ones you will polish for performances.

Practice sight-reading exercises

Short sightreading exercises like these Giant Sight Reading cards from Pianimation can make a huge difference if done just a few minutes a day.

Hold the book over your student’s hands

Try holding the books so that your student can’t see the keys. A great preparation for this is to play a game where the student closes their eyes and tries to find the notes on the keyboard you call out (hint: find the groups of black keys first).

Analyze music without playing

Analyze which direction the notes are going in and whether they are steps or skips. This is a great preparation worksheet: Steps & Skips Worksheet (click to download). The more they understand the music, the easier it will be to read. 

Help them follow along

Help your student keep their eyes on the music by following along with your finger. Eventually they will be able to follow along with just their eyes.

Stay at the right level

Every student learns sightreading at a different speed. Moving on too quickly can cause the student so much frustration and confusion that they stop looking at the notes. Work on songs that are just challenging enough that they need to keep their eyes on the page, but at a level the student can access.