We all love music, because of the warmth it lends to the soul, and the energy it imparts to the human feet on the dance floor. Apart from the awesome moments that music creates in the human life, it is scientifically documented that music education for children has unmatched benefits. Children, in particular, stand to gain immensely from musical training, especially by learning the art of creating music through different music instruments.
Music Education, and Timing It
Wouldn’t you love if your child were to get better at mathematics, develop better motor skills, exhibit self-confidence, gel well with people, and grow into a more sophisticated and thinking individual? More importantly, wouldn’t you love if your child could enjoy all these blessings of cognitive, psychological, and life skills by learning music? We’re sure you’re excited about the idea; now’s the time to understand the importance of exposing your children to the right environment of musical learning at the right ages.
Musical Awakening for Children Aged Between 6 and 8 Months
Here’s a fact to put things in perspective – babies can hear music right from the time when they are in the mother’s womb. Parents who are musically inclined themselves, and dedicated to helping their children evolve into masterful musicians can get enrolled in music classes when the child is as young as 6 to 8 months. These classes involve active participation from the parents, rather than the babies.
The focus of such sessions is to musically awaken the child. Learned music tutors can make out signs of the child’s inclination for specific musical sounds and instruments, helping draw a musical learning roadmap for the child.
Foundation for a Musically Inspired Life – Age 3 to 4 Years
When the child is 3 to 4 years of age, parents can trust them to the mentoring of professional music tutors. Music lessons for these young children are about 30 to 40 minutes in length, and organized 2-3 times a week. These sessions involve the use of props, musical game plays, simulated instrument playing, and props to help engage the children.
Tutors also prefer using different forms of arts and crafts along with the music, so help imbibe a sense of creativity in the minds of participating children. These sessions lay the foundation in terms of holding musical instruments, creating short musical sounds, and identifying differences in the sounds of musical instruments.
5 to 7 years – Exposure to Quintessential Musical Instruments
Growing children, especially when they cross the milestone of 5 years of age, find their ideal musical learning environment when they participate in group music activities. Piano and violin are among the most preferred musical instruments for children, because it’s relatively easier for children to learn them, and these instruments are not even physically too demanding on the developing bodies of kids.
Music tutors focus on helping children in this age group to learn concepts such as different music notes, reading the music alphabet, and understanding the concept of band and playing in a group. Even one year of dedicated piano or violin lessons can equip your 5 to 7- year old child with the acumen to quickly learn other musical instruments.
Taking it to the Next Level – 7 to 9 Years
Seven – that’s the age when music tutors are open to exposing their students to all kinds of musical instruments. This is because kids can appreciate the intricacies of different musical instruments, and can identify the ones that motivate and excite them the most, without falling for secondary factors such as social appeal of the instrument.
Ideally, your 7 year old child should have had a year of focused music training by this time, so that he/she can be in a complex music learning environment during the important phase of 7 to 9 years of age, when children are at their best in terms of learning new concepts.
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Grade 3 and Beyond – The Need to Reinforce Elementary Music Education
Some schools include music as a part of curriculum for children in grades 3 and up. This is where children come to terms with group music exercises, and are exposed to the sophisticated musical learning infrastructure of the school. However, problems such as the child’s reluctance to ask for help from the instructor, and limited availability of the instructor, need to be tackled. This is where professional music lessons prove vital for children looking to take up music as a vocation.
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[Ottoman Empire] Music Students of the Hamidiye Fine Arts School in Izmir, 1896 (İzmir Mekteb-i Sanayi Talebesi) pic.twitter.com/KpAlIIqaXM
— Ottoman Archives (@OttomanArchive) January 26, 2016
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