Four Things You May Not Know About Music and Arts Education

Over the years, the overall focus and funding for arts and music have declined in most schools. This follows a years-long active debate that proponents claim that music and art are either “distracting” students from concentrating on core subjects or are not as “important.” This decision has typically left most kids with few educational alternatives, as music and arts bear the brunt when school funding is slashed. But is it true that music and arts are not as “important”? A big no. There’s a whole body of knowledge from various research that proves that music and arts complement the learning and teaching of core subjects in many ways.

The future of arts and music is not all that grim, though; many states have taken notable steps to revive their lost glamor. This will take a lot of time and money to change, but it’s a worthy cause. Parents and educational stakeholders are getting more conscious of the long-term positive effects these two disciplines have on children. For example, many parents who do not want their kids to miss out on learning a musical instrument or two enroll their kids for tuition in private institutions like Muse Mantra School of Music & Arts — kids music school in The Woodlands. Introducing art and music to your children is pertinent, no matter where they are introduced.

There are many upsides to music and arts education that many people are not aware of. This article will explore the four effects of music and art education on your kid’s development. Read on!

They Improve Language and Reading Skills

Music and language are intricately intertwined in that the same region of the brain that processes music also processes language. It becomes evident that the development of one ultimately leads to the development of the other. When young kids are introduced to musical activities, their brain processing power is boosted. This will make them find it easier to read and learn a language. It has been proven that enabling children to learn a musical instrument makes them find it much easier to remember words, hence a higher information retaining power.

Art, especially visual arts like painting and drawing, has the same effect on children because they understand ideas presented visually faster and, through discussion develop vocabularies to describe them. By drawing pictures of stories they are familiar with, children develop stronger comprehension abilities.

They Enhance Creativity

Creativity is defined as the use of imagination to produce novel ideas within the various fields of human activities. It’s proven that involving kids in music activities like singing and instrument playing leads to an expansion in their creative abilities. Music development itself requires creativity. Children learn to express themselves through music as it fosters performance by encouraging “doing” instead of observing. The left side of the brain involved in creativity is also the same part developed by music.

Participation in the arts has been linked to improvements in cognitive, arithmetic creative thinking capacity. It enhances a deeper connection to the world and other people, exposing people to new ways of viewing things. Creative thinking is intrinsic to young children and introducing them to the arts helps in fostering it.

They Play a Big Role in Confidence Boosting

Participating in music classes enables children to interact by practicing together. They build skills in singing and instrument playing, which builds pride and self-confidence. They also learn to be tolerant by taking in criticism and praise from interacting with peers. Since music also develops language and expression, a child can easily communicate and make known their feelings in particular situations.

Art-related activities do so much more to your child than keeping them engaged. Engaging in painting, drawing, and modeling is important in boosting their self-image. The art projects they work on with their peers help them build real-life skills and, instill a sense of pride and self-confidence boost for every accomplishment.

They Foster Cultural and Personal Connections

Participating in music and art activities, whichever they are, introduces children to understand, appreciate, and connect to various cultural diversities. This enables them to discover a sense of belonging to a larger community and opens them up to a different worldview. It also opens them up to be empathetic and compassionate to people of different cultures early on in life.

Personal connections through friendships are enhanced for children participating in similar interests. Tolerance levels for others they might deem as difficult to associate with also increases.