Illustration: Carolina Robles
Although not all of us can become musical geniuses, the reality is that music education at an early age brings cognitive benefits for the development of our children.
Little Wolfgang grew up surrounded by music. His father was a musician and teacher, and his house in the old Salzburg was always full of sheet music, violins and keyboards. So the most logical thing was that since he was a baby his fingers recognized the keys of the harpsichord and that he became fascinated with the sound they produced.
So as early as the age of four, his father began teaching him to play minuets and other pieces, which he performed masterfully. And even more: at five he was already composing small pieces dedicated to his father. It goes without saying that over the centuries Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart would become one of the most celebrated composers in history.
At this time, many parents recommend playing Mozart music to babies, as it is said to help their brain development a lot. And although the so-called “Mozart effect” has not been scientifically proven, what is known is that the teaching of music positively influences the academic and social development of people.
So much so that UNESCO makes a great effort with other organizations to promote artistic and musical education, especially among children in the most vulnerable areas, who usually have little access to this kind of stimuli.
Music, a great diversity
Whether it’s from so-called “classical” music to jazz, rock, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms (even reggaeton!), we can find that The diversity of music on our planet brings us closer to different ways of thinking, of having fun, of expressing ourselves, so learning to appreciate all music is a valuable task.
The relationship between the brain and music has been studied for decades; Various studies have shown that musical abilities are distributed in both cerebral hemispheres,
Helps strengthen cognitive development
Just learning to play a musical instrument in childhood stimulates cognitive development and leads to improved skills in a variety of extra-musical areas , such as verbal and spatial, logical-mathematical thinking, and IQ performance, according to a study by the International Society for Music Education quoted by the newspaper El Tiempo.
The professor at the Universidad del Valle María Victoria Casas, in her article ‘Why should children learn music?’, concludes that The earlier a serious contact with music is established, the greater opportunity there is for other dimensions of the human being to be strengthened through its practice.
How does it benefit children?
The Red Música Maestro blog from Pearson publishing house cites 10 benefits that teaching music can bring to children:
- Improves memory, attention and concentration capacity of children.
- It stimulates their intelligence by improving the ability to solve complex mathematical and reasoning problems.
- It’s a way of expressing yourself.
- Introduces children to the sounds and meanings of words, strengthens learning and helps improve their language.
- It makes them more sociable, since music provides the opportunity for children to interact with each other and with adults.
- Develops creativity and stimulates children’s imagination.
When combined with dance, it stimulates the senses, balance, and muscular development of children. - It provokes the evocation of memories and images.
- It stimulates the integral development of the child, by acting on all areas of development.
- And finally, it helps to establish routines, thus laying the foundations for a future discipline.
It is likely that our children will not become geniuses like little Wolfgang Amadeus in 18th century Salzburg, but we can be sure that an early approach to music will provide us with a positive experience for their development and will provide us with hours of happiness as a family. .
Music, teacher!
