The Many Benefits of Music and Movement
Music and Your Child
From the moment a baby is conceived in a mother’s womb, the fetus is exposed to music. Not only in the kind of way that they can hear the world around them, as in outside of the womb, but in a very intimate way that we seldom consider: the beating of their hearts, and the heartbeat of their moms. This beat is constant, and this becomes their first experience of beat - hence creating an environment that has a constant rhythm to it. Imagine that baby hearing that same steady beat through music once they are in the outside world. This becomes the foundation of lots of milestones in their growth and development.
Music, as we all know, has numerous benefits for the child; from cognitive development, to musicality, to even gross motor development and self-expression. But the most important elements of music lie in the way that we relate to music, in the way we use it. In our Casita, music is our language and music is the medium in which we help your children grow.
Casita uses music to gather.
The classes of Casita are infused with the Zumbini® program (Zumba’s take on babies up to 6 years), and it is the central element of each lesson. The music of Zumbini® allows families who are participating to, quite literally, form a circle that is intimate and sit closely together, and take on a musical journey that allows children and families to belong in a community.
One of the magical qualities of music and dance is that it promotes routines and rituals that allow the group to open themselves up to activities that have smooth transitions and outcomes that happen in that “sacred circle”. It allows young children and babies to see the people before them and around them, and make sense of what gathering really means. Music not only allows you to bond with your child, but it also encourages bonding with a bigger entity and a bigger community that helps in supporting them one milestone at a time.
Socialization and social interaction is enhanced by music.
The class setting, when provided with music, allows for social interaction to be fun and enjoyable. It provides a platform for children to express themselves through singing, dancing and movement, developing their imagination and creativity very early on alongside helping them to truly discover gross motor skills such as running, jumping, swaying, bouncing and the like.
Not only do these movements strengthen your child’s bodies, they become more meaningful with music. Children now are able to associate certain movements with a positive shared experience and encourage them to do these movements and activities even when outside the classroom. It helps boost their confidence when playing with others, and when interacting in the outside world.
Body Awareness and Proprioception
Children discover their bodies much slower than we think. There is an element of surprise to them discovering what it is like to crawl, to stand, to walk, to jump, to run. Creating opportunities for them to move, such as that in dancing and creative movement, gives emphasis on the very small movements that your children are learning to master and muscles they are beginning to use.
“Proprioception, also known as kinesthesia, is the sense of self-movement and position. It is a system located in our muscles and joints to provide us with a sense of body awareness. (Tamara’s Piano Studio and Music Therapy Sessions)” When we think about music in relation to this, we realize that any input as simple as a beat, or tapping hands on our laps, allows young children to predict and anticipate movement and gives them an idea of what will happen next. This enhances their body awareness and spatial awareness, and allows them to move freely and experiment on different things that their bodies can do.
Music is food for your child’s brain.
Many facets of the brain can be developed through music. The relationship between music and a child’s brain has many layers. From counting beats that help children develop numeracy and creation of patterns, to music being a memory tool -- the brain of a child is enhanced and grows through constant exposure to music. Music is known to accelerate a child’s brain development through:
Literacy, increased language skills and development of vocabulary
Spatial and reasoning skills
Numeracy, pattern recognition and strengthening of basic mathematical skills
Music allows children to express themselves through creativity and by using their imagination.
One of the most fundamental benefits of music is it allows children to express themselves. Be that through song or movement, music when provided at a very young age, allows children to break barriers and develop unique confidence in singing, dancing and even trying out musical instruments to help express what they are feeling within them. Young children and babies may not have the words to express themselves, but they are able to do so through instrument play, scarf dance, pretend play, songs that encourage call and response, and moving their bodies to a dance, or just moving freely to their own beat and rhythm.
The list of benefits of music is long, and very hard to grasp in one sitting. However, once you decide to sit in a class that regularly allows children to learn and practice basic life skills and movement, you will see how much of their brains and bodies are developed. More importantly, you will see that music allows children to develop a stronger sense of self, self-confidence and understanding of their emotions and the world around them.
Giving music to your child at a very young age can make all the difference in your child’s life. It is one thing to listen to music at home. But it is also quite special to allow them to dance, to sing, to play instruments with other children, and support one another in a musical setting that can be their refuge and their own little happy place, away from your own home.
