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Top 5 Reasons Your kids (and you) Need Muisc

Before Thanksgiving Break, I posted just few couple of reasons why music is important in the lives of adults and children. I wanted to expand on the reasons and give you a few tangible resources to show you exactly the benefits you get.

Improved cognitive function. Music can be one of the early ways your mini human experiences the act multitasking and memory recall! Singing, particularly, requires more than just open your mouth and notes falling out! Your brain has to recall the song, the order of the music, lyrics, and cues for when to come in for the verse or chorus. Are there places in the song where you have to stop or add movements too? This add a physical layer to the effects of learning music!

Music is so much deeper than just what you hear. It carries our memories of love and loss, friends and family, and major life events! Imagine if your life had a soundtrack. What songs would be on your list? I bet there are songs that you hear and you can remember exactly where you were, who was with you, what happened – maybe even what your wore! One of my favorite phenomena to read about are how music affects the memory recall in Alzheimer’s patients. Songs from their youth almost always trigger long forgotten memories of places, people and events. It’s such a beautiful thing to see! Check out this video!

Better scores and understanding of math and sciences. Students who participated in music activities do better in Math, Science, and English too. There has been tons of research showing the connection. However, a Canadian study revealed that those who played an instrument, versus vocal students, scored higher in math and science tests that those who did not. They believe it’s due to the amount of commitment involved in learn math and science. It is similar to what is need to play an instrument well! So please encourage your kids keep practicing! It will pay off musically and educationally!

Faster brain development in regards to language acquisition. Research from a 2016 study at the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute showed how music and music instruction created accelerated brain development in areas responsible for processing sounds, language acquisition, reading skills and speech perception. Children who took music lessons had more advanced auditory systems. The auditory system is fundamental for vocal language developments and communication skills.

Think about it. How did you learn your letters? Most of us, if not all, learn an ABC song. Babies learn to say Mama and Dada from listening to you say it. Our auditory system matters so much more than we think!

Better socio-emotional development and coping skills. Music makes us feel a wide variety of emotions. But, it also can boost your self esteem. A study done in 2004 by Costa-Giomi showed an increase of self-esteem in children who took piano lessons for 3 years than those who did not! Wow! All parents want a kid who is confident with good self-esteem. There is nothing better than having the ability to believe in yourself, especially when they world may not. You can accomplish anything with this kind of mindset.

Music is good for your physical health. Michelle Obama’s campaign Let’s Move got kids up and going! Not only did it include sports, but it included music and dancing. Anyone remember her Turnip Rap Video? While she encouraged you to eat veggies, she did it to a dope song! She also danced with many of the schools she visited. Movement is so important to our bodies and dancing music is an easy fun way to do it. Music, even if you aren’t dancing to it, can also increase your endurance (think of an exercise playlist), lower your blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels (the stress hormone), while increasing your serotonin and endorphin (happy/feel-good hormones). Harvard has a great article that can give more insight!

Hopefully, this info can help you make the best decisions about music for you and your family! I encourage you to give yourself and your child(ren) the gift of music to really see the benefits firsthand! You won’t be disappointed! And…play a song that make you happy today!