Effect of music on kids
The centrality of music on the
development of kids has been the subject of contemporary psychological debates.
Scholars have advanced various thoughts on the effect of music on kids. Many
Scholars support the use of certain aspects of Music to facilitate learning
among children. However, certain scholars have argued that the use of music to
enhance learning is a far-fetched idea that could jeopardize the quality of
learning among kids. This paper explores the subject of music and its effect on
kids. The paper relies on secondary literature throughout its development. The
study reveals that classical music and Mozart enhances the cognitive
development of kids. Mozart effect makes children to be smarter than their
colleagues with limited exposure to music and has been recommended in various
learning institutions. The study concludes that parents should expose their
kids to classical music to improve their intelligent quotient as well as
learning in the formal and informal sector.
Introduction
In 2014, the Institute of Education reported
that music improves listening and concentration skills of children. The study
revealed that Mozart and Beethoven enhance self-discipline
among children in London primary schools. Teachers in these schools reported
that music improves English skills of children. Psychological
studies have revealed a closer association between musical aptitude and intelligence
quotient. Studies by Sacks reveal that music improves verbal memory and
spatial ability. The research on the effect of music on children has been
carried out for the last fifteen years. Although some scholars believe that
playing music to infants can improve their IQ skills, other scholars have
argued that introduction of kids to complex music such as jazz enable them to
develop their senses. This study explores the centrality of music in the
development of kids’ intelligence.
Literature review
The effect of music on kids has been
the subject of scholarly debate. Various scholars have carried out experiments
to determine the effect of music on kids. Yu et al observed that parents
should make sure that their kids listen to oral music to improve their oral
sense. In this regard, kids are not allowed to watch visual music since the
music is likely to overtake them. Psychological experts believe that visual
music has too much to look rather than listen. Having kids listen allow them to
develop a sense of imagination. This imagination boosts their creative ability.
At the age of five or six when children get to school, they have poor ability
to comprehend pictures. Studies that explored Mozart music found out that the
music increased learning ability of kids. The first study took place in 1993.
36 kids who listened to Mozart before taking spatial tasks improved their
performance.
Psychologists posit that music is
better for the brain. They argue that music provides enough exercise that
relaxes the muscular brain. Whereas most studies have elucidated the effect
music on kids, there is contention that not all music makes kids smarter. Research
has linked Mozart music and classical music with enhanced intelligence.
Brighter and happy parents who listen to classical music appreciate that
classical music would produce smarter babies. Studies by Pietschnig et al.
(2010) found out that pregnant mothers that listen to classical music are often
relaxed. This relaxation leads to the delivery of happy and healthy babies. The
early development of a child is significant because it has irreversible effects
on the child’s life. In this regard, playing music to a kid enhances the
quality of their brains. Less emotional music helps in modulating moods and
reducing stress among pregnant women. A study on the University of California
students found out that students who listened to music scored higher on SAT as
well as proficiency tests. The research revealed a significant variation in
performance between students that listened to music and students that did not
listen to music.
Studies by Glenn Schellenberg
revealed an improvement in the intelligence quotient of students who had been
trained in piano for nine months. This study was carried out in 2004 at the
University of Toronto. It showed that students that play piano can understand
mathematical problems more easily than students that do not play piano. The study showed that piano students registered an improvement of 34%
higher on tests such as fractions, proportions and time. Related studies
revealed an improvement in pattern recognition and mental tests among students
that had been given piano instructions.
Before the age of seven, musical
training of a kid enhances the kid’s white matter . This enhancement
improves the kid’s sensorimotor synchronization tasks. In this regard, music
lessons boosts the ability of kids to recall, analyse and interpret
information. The intelligence acquired during the early stages of development extends
throughout the life of a kid. Continuous musical activity provides cognitive
exercise to the brain and makes it fitter to tolerate advanced age. It creates
alternate connections that that deals with declining cognitive sense.
Musical lessons are paramount to kids
because they benefit the kids’ brain later in their lives. This claim implies
that kids do not have to take musical lessons throughout their stage of
development. The benefits of music in the early stages of development can help
them in the later stages of life. For example, older adults with childhood
musical experience have faster brain responses to speech compared to older
adults with not childhood experience in music. In this regard, adults with
prior musical experience are likely to memorize events compared to their
counterparts without musical experience. Music enables kids to remain alert and
interested in learning. This quality enable kids to see the whole picture of
what they are taught while remaining calm and playful. Bright kids are likely
to be self-disciplined and focused in classroom activities. Music also enhances pro social behavior among kids.
Exposure to music improves language
acquisition skills, motor skills and memory. Music results in the development
of multiple neural connections. Children that play music enhances their
proportional thinking since they exercise their brain. Music also instills
ability disassembled parts and put them back together. Musical instruments
allow kids to interpret notes and symbols. Through such interpretation, kids
can visualize objects in time and space. Music develops the executive functions
of the brain. The brain’s frontal lobe coordinates these functions. Through
this, kids can manage both time and affection. They can also control their behavior and organize their thoughts. The skills acquired in
music are important both at school and in life. Kids need to adopt acceptable behavior to enable them relate and interact with people. Music encourages
positive behavior among kids. This behavior comes with a set of values allow
kids to coexist with people. For example, since music promotes self-discipline,
kids require this attribute to relate to their teachers and parents. Teachers
and parents love kids of good behavior.
Findings from Harmony Project in Los
Angeles revealed that students who spent sometime listening to music graduated
from high school and proceeded to various universities. These students beat
learnt to overcome obstacles and managed to excel in academic programs. The
study revealed that they beat the odds compared to their peers that did not
take music lessons. The research concluded that music caused the changes in the
IQ of the students. The increased ability of students translated into enhanced
ability to read and comprehend skills taught in class (Sacks, 2010). In light
of these findings, there is need for increased music education for kids. Much
of the research supports the claim that music enhances cognitive abilities of
kids. Kids leave with these skills throughout their growth and development.
This implies that the skills that kids learn at early stages may live with them
throughout their life. In this regard, it is imperative that kids acquire
musical lessons to improve their cognitive abilities. Doing so will enhance
their intelligence and place them on pedestal towards better educational and
intellectual fulfillment.
Despite the centrality of music to
kids, some researchers argue that no evidence supports the claim that music
enhances the cognitive ability of kids. Prof Rauscher of the University of
Wisconsin opined that music does not merely improve the cognitive ability of
kids and that ‘parents are desperate to give their children every single enhancement’ . Prof Rauscher’s proposition may be subjective given that
many scholars agree that music has a positive effect on kids.
Conclusion
This paper explored the effect of
music on kids. By relying on various sources of literature, the study reveals
that music has a positive impact on the development of kids. In light of the
foregoing, it is indubitable that music plays a central role in the cognitive
development of kids. In this regard, parents should organize musical lessons
for their children to boost their intellectual growth and development. Schools
should formalize music as a mandatory instruction. By providing musical lessons
to all kids in their early stages, kids can acquire improve on their spatial
and critical thinking skills. The research finds out that Mozart and classical
musical genres should be played to kids to boost their intelligence. It is
incumbent upon educational stakeholders to underscore the significance of music
to kids based on the research supporting this claim.
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