Music - My Refuge

When I was young, my grandma often told me that if you ever want to know what is going inside a person, try listening to the music that he/she listens to. Undoubtedly, she was not the only one who believed in the power of music.

Think of the equations and chemical formula that you learnt while in school. How many of them do you remember? And, now try remembering the rhymes and songs that you can sing by your heart even today. Needless to say, music does the trick!

For the same reasons, the importance of music in the education domain cannot be overlooked. Plato aptly pointed out, “Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education”. In addition to acting as a medium of expression, research indicates that music can be helpful in the following ways-

• Physical development through activities involving movement and balance.
• Emotional, social and aesthetic development of the children.
• Cognitive skills such as recognising and extending patterns through songs poems and rhymes.
• Language skills such as listening, learning of new words etcetera.
• Improves creativity and imagination as children learn to approach tasks in new or different ways.
• They develop aesthetic awareness and learn to evaluate and validate their work and the choices they make.
• Helps to develop concentration, as they must focus on a particular activity over extended periods of time.
• Encourage children to learn about themselves.
• Teaches about different culture and makes children more open to the world around them.
• Learning to play an instrument requires a lot of patience and that’s why one of the qualities musicians possess is discipline. It teaches the children to develop self discipline.

Therefore, it is vital to expose young children to a wide range of activities that can help them develop on their musical intelligence. Some of the suggested activities that you can do with your child are-

• Expose your child to different forms of music. Dedicate a time in the day when you and your child will together listen to music. It could be any time of the day; may be before you go to sleep or may be when you wake up early morning.
•  You can play a musical piece to your child and ask him/her to draw to music. Have them express what the music tells them.
• Hum a tune of any familiar song to your child. Ask your child to identify the song. Let him/her also hum a tune for you.

BODY BAND

Encourage children to use their own body parts as instruments.  To begin with, clap to create a simple rhythm with your hands then invite the child to join in as you repeat.  After a few rounds, begin another body-part rhythm such as foot tapping or thigh- slapping. Continue in this manner to model a variety of body parts and rhythms.  Afterwards, play some lively music, and encourage the child to join the band by playing the body instrument they choose. 

FIND THE SOUND

Have your child sit in the chair and blindfold him/her. Choose an instrument and go to a certain place.
Begin to play the instrument with a continuous rhythmic pattern.
Ask your child to stand up and walk towards the sound. (Make sure that their hands are outstretched as to assist them finding the sound)
Once they've found you, have them name the instrument being played. If they name correctly, then they get to choose an instrument to play while you are blindfolded.

Children enjoy learning through music as much as adults do teaching them through it. Watch this video to experience how music can facilitate learning of a concept which may be difficult for a child to remember otherwise.