Children's Music: Kids Love Songs And Instruments
Children possess a primal appreciation for music. When only infants, they “sing” themselves to sleep with tonal moaning. As toddlers they perform percussion on pots and pans. Eventually young children graduate to sing-songy melodies that may or may not have words, may or may not follow a particular rhythm. Many school-aged youngsters imitate or create jingles to help them remember basic academic information (“The head bone’s connected to the _ neck bone”). As they move into their teenaged years, music becomes, like everything else, something they are "good" at or something they are "bad" at. Those who are not motivated to study music as a discipline may stop making it altogether, but rare is the teenager who does not possess a library of CD’s, MP3’s and playlists.
What is it that draws children, and all of us on some level, to music?
In the past ten years, research on music and child development has exploded. Many studies reveal music making is crucial to brain development, both regionally and for neurological connections among various parts of the brain. In short, music making has a profound effect upon how children will learn nearly everything else.
The entire phonemic range of a baby's native language has been logged in the auditory cortex by the time the infant is six months old. http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/brain.html Phonemic range refers to the many different blends of sound that come together to form words in a particular language. For instance, "bl," "cr," and "st" are common phonemic blends in English while "zj," "ts," and "vw" blend together naturally for speakers of Slavic languages such as Russian. While a baby of six months is still physically incapable of forming these blends with her own mouth, she already recognizes them when they are spoken. The auditory cortex remains malleable until about the age of ten. This is why it's so much easier for children to learn a foreign language than it is for adults.
This also may be one reason why young children love songs that play with sound so much. "Old McDonald had a Farm" is a classic favorite for little ones -- sure, they'll sing along with the words if they can, but it's the animal sounds that have them bursting for their turn to choose one of Farmer McDonald's varied livestock.
Rhyme is another popular device in children's songs. "Eensy Weensy Spider" and "Ooh, Eee, Ooh, Ah, Ah" are great examples of rhyming songs that children love -- and some of the lyrics aren't even real words! This playful approach to language helps foster a love for words that can benefit anyone in our communication-driven world. In addition, rhyme creates natural breaks and predictability in language, helping children develop logic and deductive reasoning skills later in their education.
One of the most fascinating things about music making is that it requires BOTH sides of the brain. Many people know that the right side of the brain manages creativity, personal expression, and play while the left side of the brain controls logical and analytical functions. But what most people don't know is that music stimulates both sides of the brain and creates connections between them. http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Music/morebrain.html Ever wonder why those "Five Little Ducks" that went out to play are much better at teaching your toddler how many fingers he has than simply counting them over and over again? Children process information through play. Stimulating the right brain through song at the same time as teaching children analytical concepts like counting makes the numbers personally meaningful for them.
This connection between the right and left brains continues as children grow older. Even school-aged children, teens, and college students who no longer make music with playful abandon have been proven to perform better on mathematical exercises while listening to Mozart and Yanni than when working without music. http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/mozarteffect.shtml
Some school curriculum developers, like Earth Tone Enterprises, have brought musical math instruction up-to-date with math raps such as "The Funky Fractions Rap." http://www.songsforteaching.com/earthtone/funkyfractionsrap.htm
Math and language are not the only areas that benefit from children's music. They Might Be Giants, a popular band from the late twentieth century, has turned its attention to creating educational songs of all kinds for about a decade. Some of their hilariously smart work includes the album "Here Come the 123's" and every science teacher's favorite song, "Why Does the Sun Shine?" with lyrics beginning: "The sun is a mass of incandescent gas..." http://free.napster.com/player/?play_id=22494340&type=track
Music also enhances cultural studies. Children with exposure to songs from other cultures develop a sense of connectedness and tolerance. Singing "Follow the Drinking Gourd" in elementary school is a way to make the urgency of the Underground Railroad, Harriett Tubman, and a whole era of United States history real to children in a way that reading a list of facts and dates cannot.
Ever seen a preschooler bopping to the beat? Moving to rhythm is such a natural reaction that she may not even know she's dancing. On its own, music encourages physical fitness and gross motor skills. When we intentionally add large-scale movements to songs, children acquire balance, coordination, physical control, and self-confidence.
When small-scale movements accompany a song, like in the preschool favorite "Five Little Monkeys," children learn fine motor control, a skill necessary for writing, tying shoelaces, buttoning buttons, and countless other tiny tasks we do every day.
Perhaps the most important aspect of children's music is the relationship skills it fosters. Youngsters learn to listen to each other when they sing popular children's songs together. In classics like "The Farmer in the Dell," they learn turn taking, roll playing, and sharing. They learn to value each other's choices and create compromises. These kinds of attitudes make for personal success and fulfillment throughout life.
Children's music is the parents' and educators' all-in-one package deal. The more we use it, the more our children will learn, grow, and love.
