Learning music at school has a number of benefits. Not only does music education encourage your child to develop new skills, it also helps them succeed academically. Here are some points to discuss with your child to help them understand why learning music matters.
Music lessons at school have a real educational purpose. They are essential for developing
three skills:
1. Composing vocal or instrumental pieces
When your child makes up their own musical piece or song, they assert their personality and aspirations while familiarizing themselves with the instruments or sounds available to them. They also develop the following:
- Their creative potential
- Their musical language
- Their understanding of a new system of rules
- Etc.
2. Performing musical pieces
By using their body, their voice, objects, or an instrument to perform a piece of music, your child can communicate their ideas, feelings, and emotions. In addition, music classes explore music from around the world, which helps students do the following:
- Broaden their horizons
- Identify differences between their culture and others
- Practise critical thinking
- Develop their aesthetic sense
- Etc.
3. Appreciate musical works, their own musical ability, and that of their classmates
To appreciate a piece of music, your child needs to be conscious of their emotional response to it. When they’re in tune with their emotions, they learn to do the following:
- Form a critical opinion of what they hear
- Express their opinion
- Appreciate technique
- Etc.
Music has been proven to contribute to overall child development. It’s a recognized way to improve social, emotional, motor, cognitive, and language skills. Broadly speaking, it helps your child with the following:
- Developing complex psychomotor skills
- Interacting with others
- Expressing their emotions
- Coming up with creative solutions
- Communicating effectively
- Etc.
Music allows children to learn differently. It improves their attention span and memory, among other things, which is beneficial in subjects such as languages, math, and science. For example, music education helps students do the following:
- Develop different learning strategies
- Think analytically
- Build self-confidence
- Feel a greater sense of belonging, which makes them less likely to drop out
- Etc.
Music stimulates certain areas of the brain and promotes relaxation, among other effects. It creates a sense of well-being in multiple ways, including by having a positive impact on the following:
- Fatigue
- Anxiety and stress
- Concentration
- Etc.
In short, music is known to have many benefits. It’s essential to understand what a difference it can make both at school and at home. Moreover, music education is a great asset when it comes to learning certain concepts, including arithmetic operations and more.
Writing : Alloprof Parents’ team
Scientific review : Jonathan Bolduc, full professor of music education, Faculty of Music at Université Laval, Canada Research Chair in Music and Learning