Early morning, a few days ago, as our household was going through its usual routines to start the day, my daughter burst into song.
She had learned the tune at school, and the urge to belt it out was sudden and immense and nothing short of lovely.
Her voice was clear, in tune, and confident. She sang with pleasure, as though the song itself were an extension of her play. I’m sure many parents have experienced similar moments with their own children. Music has such an impact on kids from an early age. As parents, we work to maintain healthy lifestyles with food, education, a sense of community – and music can and should be as integral a component.
Ever heard of The Mozart Effect? French researcher, Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis, wrote on how listening to Mozart increased a person’s intellectual capabilities. The idea has since been expanded from intelligence alone to the entire holistic well-being of a person – especially children.
Don Campbell, in his book The Mozart Effect for Children, outlines how certain forms of music foster rest and rejuvenation, intelligence and learning, and creativity. In his words, this effect is defined as:
“an inclusive term signifying the transformational powers of music in health, education, and well-being. It represents the general use of music to reduce stress, depression, or anxiety; induce relaxation or sleep; activate the body; and improve memory or awareness. Innovative and experimental uses of music and sound can improve listening disorders, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, autism, and other mental and physical disorders and diseases”.
A wide range of music is played in our household, and a lot of singing comes from it. And while our reasons for enjoying music or singing may not always be as intentional as fostering balanced children, there is great comfort found in knowing these benefits exist.
Somewhere down the road, your children’s life will be better off for it.
There has been a lot of research done into the power of music on growing the brain’s ability to make connections. Not only does music make us happy, but it may also help to make us ‘smarter’.
Thanks for your comment. The “intelligence” factor in a physical sense appears to be temporary (read: while certain music is played, the person’s cognitive skills increase), but the overall effect of music on the person is long-lasting.
Happy is great, but I think music also does wonders in understanding the whole gambit of human emotion: sorrow, empathy, grief, longing. All of it beautiful and elegiac.