We’re pretty sure we could have listed forty-four ways early childhood music classes prepare your child for school and for life, but we don’t want to make your eyes glaze over. After all, this is a blog post, not a doctoral thesis. Plus, “Four on the 4th” just sounded catchier…so we’ll just point out four of the many ways music makes a difference in the mind and heart of a young child.

Learning Music Makes Kids Better Learners

Maybe it’s because we as humans come hard-wired to respond to music.  Or maybe it’s the way music wakes up the brain, causing learning to happen with greater ease and impact.  Thanks to technological advances, we know that musicians’ brains actually work differently than non-musicians’ brains.  The really exciting thing is that educators and researchers continue to find undeniable links between early childhood music experiences and enhancement in every of a child’s development.

Early Childhood Music Classes Promote Creative Thinking

In Kindermusik, there’s a reason why our emphasis is on process and not performance, on exploring rather than precisely imitating. We want the children in our classes to explore without defined parameters, to move and play instruments in all different kinds of ways because we understand that creative thinkers become expert problem-solvers and solution-finders. These creative thinking skills lead to success in the classroom, in the workplace, and in life.

Being Part of a Musical Group Encourages Cooperation and Teamwork

Whether it’s exploring instruments with mom or dad or being part of an ensemble play-along later on, working together in a group music class requires an attitude of cooperation and a spirit of teamwork. Developing cooperation and teamwork is often happening without conscious effort because both really are a natural outcome of the way the music class and the activities themselves are presented. These are two essential skills, success predictors even, that a person will benefit from for the rest of their lives.

Music Classes Strengthen Emotional Bonds and Social Abilities

At first, parents might enroll in a weekly music class in order to bond with their child. Music elicits all kinds of emotional responses, creates unique memories, and helps parents and children connect in a deeper way. But what also becomes apparent is that music classes are a beautiful place to foster friendships and give kids practice interacting socially. There’s just something uniquely special about making music together. Music has the potential to do so much good – in our hearts, in our minds, in our communities, and throughout our entire lives. And the greatest potential for impact on a child starts in the very early years when the critical windows of learning are open the widest, when the brain is primed for learning, and when the memories of those consistent early music experiences will be most deeply embedded. There is no other single activity that is better for a young child – indeed for all of us – than the rich experience of enjoying music, learning from music, and making music.

For those celebrating – Happy Independence Day! Be safe! Contributed by Theresa Case, whose award-winning Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in upstate South Carolina has been inspiring children and families for over 20 years now.