5 Scientific Ways That Music Benefits Infants and Toddlers
Author: Steve Pak

Do you like music? Whether it is rock, jazz, classical country,
rap, easy listening or polka, music is important in our everyday
lives. It can bring out a rainbow of emotions in us. The slow,
soulful playing of violins can remind us of past loved ones. A
strong beat can give us energy and motivation before starting an
important task. And so-called "elevator music" helps to calm our
nerves while waiting in doctors' waiting rooms. Regardless of
your background, such as being Amish and living in Amish Country
Ohio, music is a part of your life. But how important is music
to our babies?

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for whom the Baby Mozart Music
Festival DVD is named after, has become one of the most
celebrated composers of all time. However, his musical
achievements as a child are equally amazing. At the age of just
three-years-old, Mozart was already playing the clavichord
(basically, a small piano). One year later, he was already
writing short pieces of music!

Signs of Mozart's musical genius continued during his
childhood. At just five-years-old, he gave his first concert at
an Austrian university. At seven-years-old, Mozart once picked
up a violin and played perfectly part of a musical piece that
was new to him. Amazingly, Mozart had never had a single formal
violin lessons! Young Mozart toured Europe for three years, and
was featured in various concerts for kings and queens. When he
returned to Austria, he wrote his first opera at the age of
11-years-old!

Will your child be the next Mozart? Well, whether or not your
child is Amish and living in Amish Country Ohio, music is
nonetheless important in his or her life. Here are some reasons
why nurturing early childhood music is so vital:

1. Music can help to develop a child's fine motor skills (i.e.
using small muscle groups to play a piano) and gross motor
skills (i.e. using large muscle groups to dance). In addition,
music improves vocal, speaking and listening skills.

2. Rhythm and pitch are part of your child's natural
development. Sometimes children
would rather sing than listen, skip than walk, and dance
instead of standing still. Is this normal? It is, and here is
proof:

• A fetus is already aware of the heartbeat of his or her
mother.

• For centuries, music and lullabies have become standard
methods for helping babies to fall asleep.

• In what experts refer to as "The Mozart Effect," exposure to
classical music can have a significantly positive effect on
humans' physical and mental health. Several studies have proven
this theory. And this beneficial effect of classical music
influences not only adults, but children as well.

3. The sharing of musical instruments and playing in a "band"
can help toddlers to learn important social skills.

4. Music can have an important influence on the development of
a child's brain, particularly through the age of six-years-old.
During these years, the most significant brain development
occurs.

5. Infants and toddlers tend to be less inhibited about making
errors, than older children are. After children start elementary
school, they are required to learn the "correct" way to sing a
song or play an instrument. However, pre-school children can
have jam session on a toy grand piano, without being worried
about hitting the right keys. As a parent, try to grin and bear
the sour notes.

Not every child can become a musical genius. However,
regardless of whether or not you are Amish and living in Amish
Country Ohio, music is fundamental in nurturing your child's
physical, mental, and social development. It is more than just
music to his or her ears.


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