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It would seem that all children at young ages are motivated to make music. Just recall how much fun you had as a child banging on pots and pans, turning boxes into drums, and using paper towel tubes as kazoos.
By the time children first become involved in private music study, they think it will be fun to play an instrument. Soon, however, they realize that it's hard work.
What can parents do to keep their children interested in music? How can we help children achieve musical success?
The first thing to remember is that all children have musical ability. Some may have more and some less but everyone can benefit from musical activity throughout their lives. For those students with less natural musical ability, parent involvement in music makes a difference, especially when children are very young. In addition, most parental activities that are related to success in music study don't require specialized musical training or musical ability.
The link between music and a child's intelligence
With the public attention brought by the "Music Makes You Smarter" research, many parents are interested in providing their children appropriate musical experiences. This research was led by Frances Rauscher, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, and Gordon Shaw, a physicist at the University of California at Irvine, and published in the February 1997 issue of Neurological Research. It is based on some remarkable studies that show that music training generates the neural connections used for abstract reasoning, including those necessary for understanding mathematical concepts.
Besides, music is a fun, group-oriented, artistic activity that can be participated in and experienced throughout a person's life, and it leads to a better quality of life.
Promoting musical achievement
During the preschool and elementary years, parental involvement in music is more highly related to musical achievement than it is to attitudes and motivation toward music study. Research shows that with preschool children, parents may wish to sing with their children, have them listen to recordings, attend concerts, provide musical toys and materials, and expose children to a variety and choice of music.
For children involved in beginning instrumental music study, taping practice sessions and performances, and supervising home practicing can be helpful. Parents should also encourage their children to select instruments based on which sound they prefer. Research has found that children will practice more and achieve more if they like the sound of their own instrument best.
Helping your child become interested in music
As students get older, parental involvement in music makes less of a difference in the child's musical achievement, but has a greater influence on attitudes and motivation toward music. This affects whether a child will continue musical study. Parents can do a number of things to promote better attitudes and motivation as music study continues.
For example, parents can:
- Assist with practice
- Attend school concerts and non-school concerts and recitals
- Attend parent meetings with instructors
- Provide transportation to musical activities
- Provide musical enrichment activities, such as summer music camps
The Benefits of Music
Increased self esteem, increased focus and concentration, healthy and creative avenues of personal expression, improved self discipline and development and enrichment of aesthetic sense.
[www.musictuition.com.au]
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