Why is Music Important for Kids?
This question has been debated for as long as time has existed. Even the great Greek and Roman philosophers approached the question: is music something that should be taught and does it help the development of children? Plato answered “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for in the patterns of music and all arts are the keys to learning.” And again “what then is the education to be? Perhaps we could hardly find a better than that which the experience of the past has already discovered, which consists, I believe, in gymnastic, for the body, and music for the mind.”
In all cultures of the world music plays an important role. While these roles may change depending on the culture it is impossible to separate music from the life of an individual. While some may argue the role of music in our lives it is impossible to escape it. Even in the popular culture of Australia it is impossible to go shopping without hearing music. Music provides a means of communication and expression of culture and individual identity.
Children are immersed in music from birth and will be for their entire life. If this is the case why teach it? Is not the constant immersion in music enough? To this I say; is the fact that we witness the results of scientific principals on a day to day basis result in the understanding of those scientific principles? No it does not and likewise for music it does not either. The day to day encounters we have with music can move us but the understanding of this music can help us grow as individuals.
In many cultures the family plays the main role in music education. Families are most commonly the ones that teach children the music of their culture. As young children, we are commonly sung nursery rhymes. These provide entertainment for the child and often information in small repeated fashion. Children learn through the repetition and structure that the information was delivered in. many nursery rhymes teach fundamental life lesson and therefore sets music up as a means of educating. Children learn from music from a young age and will continue to for the rest of their lives. In a world where globalization and consumerism are dominating cultural identities are drifting into the background and children are more likely to be sung pop songs as lullaby’s than nursery rhymes. The benefit of nursery rhymes and progressive learning has become an issue. Children are missing out on fundamental learning opportunities.
The Mozart effect which gained a large following in the 1990’s claimed that listening to Mozart as a baby will make a child smarter. While this movement was short lived and there is little proof that it works there has been no denying that children who learn music will achieve higher in other aspects of their academic life. In earning music children learn to express their identities, gain confidence and develop sense of time and space. A research team at the university of Munster in Germany discovered that students who study music have more developed abstract reasoning skills which are closely linked to learning in the areas of science and maths.
I do not believe that there is any argument to this question…music is a vital part of a child’s education and should be taken seriously. Listening to music is not enough! A child must learn to think musically and that is what will help assist the development of the child and their academic development.
written by Gemma Lee from www.shinemusic.com.au teachers of piano, saxophone, violin, singing, drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, flute and clarinet.
Parents Play the Most Central, Yet Vulnerable Roles in Childrenâs Music Education
The three basic parties who take part in childrenâs music education are the child, the teacher (or teachers) and the parents.
To best understand how the young musician will regard music lessons, we must ask: âHow should parents plan for the musical education of their children and what they know about it?â
As a rule, there are two main things to consider: the choice and cost of the instrument, auxiliary materials and lessons; and the search for a good teacher. After that, the preparation for the childâs musical training is largely complete. However, buying the instrument and paying for lessons are not the most complex part of music education, although many parents think so and believe that the rest is up to the teacher and the child, who is obliged to frequent music lessons on a regular basis and do the homework. In fact, to parents, it all seems very easy! âDid you do your homework today? Have you practiced that piece enough? Have you learned the fingers in an etude? Come on, play the piece you had to memorize!â
Hereâs the simple truth: The reasons behind oneâs success in music education as well as the loss of interest creep in absolutely imperceptibly, and often during quite a long period of time.
First, then, letâs discuss what happens when a child loses interest.
Again, parents are the most integral and important parts of the equation when it comes to their childrenâs success or loss of interest in musical education. When a child gets bored with his or her lessons, the parents, who by that point are exhausted by battles with the child to practice and often feel financially pinched from the costs of the instrument and the lessons, must then face the difficult decision of whether to terminate the lessons.
While preparing the materials for my book, Voices of our Children, I talked to parents and teachers and asked them what they considered to be the prime reason behind the childâs loss of interest. Can you guess who a whopping 80 percent considered to be at fault? The child! It was he/she who did not want to continue the education!
Whatâs more important is that after terminating the lessons, very few parents asked themselves why their child lost interest. Letâs look the perspective of each participant in this scenario:
The child. He is happy! His âtorturesâ have finally ended. He no longer has to hear unpleasant things about his careless attitude toward music lessons. No one will ever force him to learn music against his will! Now he is free from tiresome lessons and can spend time doing things he likes!
The teacher. Not every teacher, especially not those who often lose students, will search for the real reasons behind a childâs loss of interest in music lessons. It is easier for some teachers to accuse or blame the student than to admit to their own mistakes.
In this case, what does the teacher do? He quickly forgets about former students and places an ad to get new ones â he has to earn a living. Itâs just a job. Â
Parents. Believe it or not, but I think that when the child quits musical training, the parents suffer the most â not only because they have invested in this venture materially, but because along with the termination of music education they must part with their own dreams, hopes, and an opportunity to discover and develop their childâs true talent that might not have been obvious.
Now, when the child quits music lessons, he can quickly redirect his attention to new interests. The teacher, who has lost the student, can compensate for his loss by finding a replacement. But the parents do suffer the most â they cannot âmove onâ â they cannot replace own child with another!
Therefore, to avoid this problem before it hits home, I strongly believe parents should prepare for their childrenâs music education ahead of time. They should know beforehand what awaits them in the future, and should be ready for possible hardships.
www.quintecco.com
Tatiana Bandurina is an inventor, a professional writer and a member of Canadian Authors Association. For more than twenty years she worked in several children’s musical academies and schools as a teacher and a principal. Tatiana is now a chief of Quintecco Educational Products, Inc., the website is www.quintecco.com, a company that develops and markets new media education products to the consumer and business education markets.
Many people who put their heart into music, put their business into music teaching. There are many fields of music education and if you are proficient in one or more you will surely find work. The first thing that a music teacher has to do is choose what he or she will focus on, be it an instrument, voice coaching, music theory or even music history. Next comes the time to assess your own knowledge on the topic. If you have a degree of Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education or Master of Music, you are probably comfortable enough teaching at any level. However if your learning did no go that far, you should be teaching at a more basic level. In any case, be sure you are qualified and are honest about your qualifications with your clients.
Consider also who you want to teach. Maybe you would love to help young children take their first steps in music. Or maybe you want to work with older kids or adults on continuing or just starting their education. Be sure you adapt your teachings and, if you need to, talk to pedagogues so you know how to deal with a child. The planning of the classes can be tricky and do not think for a second that only adults can spot if you did not prepare the lesson. A kid will notice and can get bored and even give up if they feel you are not making an effort.
Scheduling can also be difficult. Whatever you do, do not book more than one student for a time slot and try not to extend the lesson pass its designated time. It just screams that you are unprofessional. Remember during which hours kids are in school and are not available. Moreover, keep in mind that a 6 year-old attention span is not the same as a 16 year-old’s so the time which lesson takes depends very much on the student. It also depends on you personally and on your teaching method.
On that topic, there are a lot of different music teaching methods out there. One of the most popular is the Suzuki Method, but others include the Dalcroze Method and the Yamaha Method. Even if you choose not to follow any of these, it is very interesting to learn a bit about each. It will open your eyes and you will see your work under a whole new prism. In the end, you probably will take some directions from these methods, even if subconsciously.
These are the basics you should take into account when setting up as a private music teacher. Others are simple, practical choices like the place you want to teach, the prices you will charge and how to keep your financial books. However, most of it comes from practice and time. You are a music teacher, so you know that everything does.
Music education has been included in many curricula in different nations around the globe. However, since not all students are musically-inclined, not all of them are motivated to learn music. As a result, they are no longer excited to experience formal music schooling inside their classrooms. With this conflict of interests, music teachers are then challenged or pressured on how they could make their students learn and love music at the same time.
To basically adhere to the problem, they are determined to research the latest music teachers’ resources. Since both teaching and learning are two dynamic processes, music teachers and their students should meet half way – adjusting to the kind of individuals they are.
And because they are up to music education, these music teachers need to update their lists and records with the most modern trends and techniques, which are believed to be very effective and influential with the kind of students they have right now. From time to time, there could have been new music teachers’ resources that could improve their teaching strategies as well as their way of relating to their dear students.
Today, music educators incorporate theories and application to give a well-rounded musical experience and to teach music in various perspectives intended for international understanding. To meet many demands and expectations of their students, music teachers keep on upgrading their available music teachers’ resources by doing some researches over the Internet. In just a matter of few clicks, they would be aware of what is really the latest in the music academe as well as the newest style and approach in teaching that they can utilize in their everyday instruction.
The perceived effort to enhance music teachers’ resources also results in a greater number of students, who are now more motivated and determined to learn and love music. When their music teachers use some personal touches as part of their resources – sharing their own insights, thoughts and experiences on a particular topic, the learners become more eager to attend to their music classes and listen to their classroom discussions. This happens simply because they feel that they have something to relate to and such experience could also happen to them in time.
Indeed, teaching and learning music can be both fun and enjoyable. Just like in real life and in our daily activities, when we integrate music into anything that we do, it amazingly turns out to be more special and a lot of fun. After all, music gives most of us such inspiration and motivation to look forward to something better and brighter. Love music and enjoy tomorrow.
This music education website offers many useful music teachers resources and tips. Visit it now.
Earl Marsden started developing a passion for music at the early age of twelve. He first learned to play the guitar at thirteen, and from there he pursued the study other instruments including the violin, piano and flute. Currently, he devotes some of his spare time to writing articles about music teaching while managing his own music studio.
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