11May
People of all ages respond to music and children are no exception. You may or may not have heard of music therapy being deployed to improve brain development in young children. In this article, we’re going to be taking a closer look at what music therapy actually is, what it does and just how music helps child development during their preschool years.
What Is Music Therapy?
You may not have realised it, but music therapy is actually an established healthcare profession these days. It’s a program run by trained professionals that utilises music for therapeutic purposes, as the name suggests.
Part of the program is based on the fact that music has been used for thousands of years as a way for people to express themselves in a way other than through words. In other words, it’s an alternate avenue of communication.
Music therapy professionals assess the needs and strengths of, in this case, each child, and devise a music therapy program that enhances the child’s cognitive abilities, as well as providing other key benefits.
How Music Therapy Helps With Child Development
Let’s now take a look at how music therapy can actually be beneficial for young children.
Children at an early age develop rapidly, both physically and mentally. There are many ways to promote positive development in kids, and music therapy is one key way of achieving positive results. There is scientific, academic and practical evidence that music therapy works.
One prime example is this: When we listen to music, rather than either the left side of the brain or the right side being dominant, both sides of the brain are utilised almost equally. This is unusual for brain activity and it’s this key element that makes music therapy so potent. Using both sides of the brain really opens up the mind, leading to increased brain function, creativity and overall positive brain development.
More generally speaking, music therapy improves the health and well being of children overall. It’s a fantastic way to relieve stress and depression and to build on creating more positive emotions. Of course, the right type of music needs to be used, but music therapy professionals use only music that produces the most optimum results.
Music therapy isn’t limited to merely listening to music. It’s about engaging with music on every level. This can include singing and dancing. Even games involving music might be played, perfect for young minds and keeping kids focused.
These sessions not only calm the minds of young children, but also help to broaden their creativity and ability to use more of their brain. The more ways a child’s brain can be developed and expanded at an early age, the more beneficial it will be for them as they grow older.
Some other key things music therapy can assist with include:
- Physical and mental rehabilitation
- It helps to increase a child’s social skills
- Language skills are also improved
- Your child will develop more cognitive awareness
- Music therapy allows for self-expression
- It promotes the brain’s ability to be creative
- Music therapy improves overall learning potential
- And more…
While music therapy has been designed to help people of all ages in many different ways, it’s particularly useful for preschool-age children because they are in a stage of life where they develop the most, so it only makes sense to introduce children to the wonders of music therapy very early on.
Music Therapy and Endeavour Early Education
Endeavour Early Education Centres offer music therapy for child development as part of the overall curriculum. We understand the value of these therapy sessions and how music therapy assists children in learning in so many other ways as well.
Our early learning centres have a firm focus on positive childhood development on every level, which is why our curriculum is considered one of the best. Along with music therapy, children enrolled in an Endeavour Early Learning Centre will also learn the basics of education, good health and nutrition, how to develop social skills and build self-confidence, take part in a school-readiness program and so much more. Most of all, kids have fun.
To learn more about what we offer, just give us a call or drop into one of our centres for further information.
