The Preschool Times

Over the last few years we have all had an opportunity to examine our expenses for areas in which we could fine tune our spending. I, like many of you, have taken the opportunity to evaluate that which is necessary and enriching and that which is just plain fluff. Doing without certain items has been liberating. The constant demands to purchase, maintain and store “stuff” can oft times be confining.

The school system is not unlike us. They too must make decisions about where their monies could be of the most benefit. No one even considers slashing spending on the “basics”: reading, writing and arithmetic, but the arts seem to be fair game.

With the abundance of research on the cognitive development, it is worrisome that important areas of the curriculum may be removed from the standard curriculum. On the cutting block once again is the fine arts program. Too often we do not give the fine arts program the level of importance it is due.

Music and Art are essential to brain development.  Words and music are natural partners.  As any preschool teacher can tell you, “singing” is the easiest way to get children to remember important details. For instance, I do not know a teacher who would even attempt to teach the days of the week or months of the year without the help of a song. The patterns, tempos and modulation used in music correlate with similar attributes used in conversations.

Science is now confirming that words and sounds are linked in the brain. Studies have found that there is an overlapping of the brain’s ability to process language and musical sounds. People with brain injuries, that have impaired their ability to talk, improve dramatically with music therapy. I personally am not surprised by this. My mother, who suffered with Alzheimer’s disease in the later part of her life, could barely remember the names of children or dogs but she could remember all the words to her favorite songs and passed many hours listening to her music and singing along.

Music education can be helpful for children with dyslexia or autism by helping them use language more accurately and effectively. Musical training enhances the brain’s ability to do many things. It can help train children to hear the nuances in sound. Playing instruments can help children learn how to focus on a particular sound while screening out extraneous ones even in the noisiest of atmospheres.

The written and spoken language has sounds and rhythm. Playing music and experimenting with sound exposes children to different sounds and rhythms. This ultimately helps them learn phonics and how to read. Music also promotes physical development. By experimenting with different sounds and ways to create these sounds, children practice their gross and fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They also begin to develop an awareness of their body within a physical space.

So, as your school or school system begins to fine tune their budgets, let them know that it is important to keep the fine arts in the schools. If they need to cut something, tell them that we will teach our own children to brush their teeth and wash behind their ears; it is their job to make sure they can sing!

Peace & Light,

Grace