By Kamya Keerthivasan
From the lullabies sung to newborn babies to the songs into which we all pour our hearts while singing, music is such an incredible part of our lives. Music has the power to bring back memories, stir up emotions, and transport us to different worlds. However, music doesn’t only have an emotional impact; it plays a crucial role in the development of the human brain, and here are the reasons why:
- Music Enhances Cognitive Skills
Much to our surprise, music is a workout for the brain. When children engage in musical activities like singing, playing an instrument, or dancing, they are stimulating various skills.
One of the most prominent benefits is the enhancement of memory. Learning to play an instrument or recognizing certain musical notes all require memory skills. Music is a cognitive exercise that helps enhance memory retention, which will help in the long run, both academically and socially.
- Music Boosts Literacy and Intelligence
As many of us know, music is a universal language that conveys emotion and feelings. Listening to and relating to music can help people explore and express their own emotions as well as understand those of other people. This development of emotional intelligence can lead to better interpersonal relationships and empathy.
Similarly, music can serve as a form of therapy for emotional regulation. When children learn to use music as a form of self-expression, they acquire a healthy outlet for managing stress, anxiety, and frustration, feelings that many people experience daily. Due to this, music can become invaluable in navigating the ups and downs in life.
However, from early ages, babies can hear the difference between sounds, and although it may be surprising, they can identify their mother’s voice from others’ just after a few weeks. So, exposing children to music from a young age will help enhance the child’s intellectual capacity and literacy. Something that many parents have done is sing nursery rhymes to their children, like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and by doing that, they have helped their children identify sounds and patterns. By repeating these exposures, the child has already built a strong foundation for literacy in the future.
- Music Helps Children Build Their Vocabulary
Learning music often requires understanding the lyrics and meaning of the song, which can enhance one’s language and communication skills. Singing along to popular songs can help with pronunciation, increase vocabulary, and improve general comprehension. We may not think that young children understand the nursery rhymes we sing to them since they are too young; however, they do develop an understanding of them by identifying the stories in the songs. Similarly, music helps foster strong listening skills. As children pay attention to changes in pitch, tone, and rhythm, they develop listening and communication abilities in various scenarios.
However, this does not mean that music makes you smarter. Music simply affects our brain to think in certain ways. In a study done at UGA, adults have been shown to work more quickly on certain spatial tasks after listening to classical music. Why does that happen? Well, it’s because the classical music pathways in our brain are similar to those we use for spatial reasoning. But why not rock music? This is because classical music has a more complex musical structure; this complexity is what aids the brain in solving spatial problems more quickly. This doesn’t mean that other types of music are not good, as all types of music can help develop music-related pathways in the brain, which can positively impact one’s mood.
Music is not just a pleasant pastime; it is a powerful tool for brain development. From cognitive and emotional growth to improved language skills and enhanced creativity, the benefits of music education and engagement go beyond explanation. So, whether you’re a parent looking to nurture your child’s development or an individual seeking personal growth, consider incorporating music into your life.
Sources:
https://www.playgroupnsw.org.au/ParentResources/EarlyChildhoodDevelopment/importance-of-music-toddler-development
https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1053-06&title=the-role-of-music-in-brain-development
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