As a Foundation Phase teacher, you have to choose between utilising indigenous African music, Western Art music or contemporary commercial music (including popular music and film music) in your classes. Which would you choose? Please motivate your answer

By now you know that I LOVE music- I love teaching music, learning about music and composing music. I love teaching music because it is so important in child development. Music is one thing that connects all the parts of the brain and I believe is a determining factor in healthy mental, social, academic and physical development. So let me share with you some of my ideas on why music is important in child development.

WHY MUSIC IS IMPORTANT

Music is important for so many different reasons and I know you’ll want to check out my ideas on music and movement in this blog post series on Creative Movement. There I share ideas on how to use movement with music and why it will help children at home and at school. 

Ev’rybody knows this stuff- right?

I have discovered that not even all TEACHERS know this stuff- I mean why music is important in child development. Yes, the get it in the sense they want their students to have it one time a week- but many teachers, parents and adults don’t understand how daily musical experiences can help your child even more because learning music and experiencing music requires auditory, motor, sensory, and visual systems to work. And that means they’re growing!

Huh?

Here’s the basics-

MUSIC MAKES BRAIN CONNECTIONS

Music education is important in child development because music helps the brain make connections between the right and left sides. It helps connect motor (moving) and cognitive (thinking) development, creativity and personality. I love this very informative article by NAMM “Benefits of Learning and Playing Music” (for adults) but all the reasons are related to young children who study music develop different brain stems. Children respond to music naturally:

When they hear music they MOVE!

When they hear music they FEEL!

When they hear music they RESPOND!

Sometimes as music educators, we have to share with our students WHY they need to participate positively in class-or why it’s more than a grade.  This video is perfect for those upper elementary and middle school students. It will help them understand they way music makes brain connections and helps them be smarter in other areas.