REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER Principal’s Message
13th May 2022
By Mrs Simone Cooke
Dear Parents, How wonderful it is to walk around the school and see the children so engaged in their learning. As I was watching our little ones so eagerly participating in their piano keyboarding lesson this week I was reminded of the research from USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute which revealed the immense benefit to children of exposure to musical experiences in early childhood, with their studies discovering that music offered at a young age can actually accelerate brain development in young children. Musical activities such as singing, playing an instrument or even listening to music stimulates the brain and leads to improved brain structure with the formation of new neural connections, no wonder we have so many clever children at Reddam! Not only does music in the early years improve brain development but language development as well. Learning music helps to develop the left side of the brain, which controls language and reasoning and helps children with sound recognition, which is why you will hear our teachers introducing the children to their initial sounds through rhymes and songs as it greatly assists children in learning and recalling new information. Number skills also benefit as listening to musical beats helps children to learn pattern recognition, basic fractions and problem solving. Learning music also requires a high degree of concentration and helps children to focus their attention for sustained periods of time which has many benefits for accessing new information. Engaging in music involves all of the senses and helps the mind and body to work build co-ordination skills. Engaging with others in musical experiences is also very important. As they get older and perhaps join a band or choir they learn to work together as a team and research shows that even at a young age when children sing or play music together, whether it be their daily songs or practicing together for their end of year concerts it assists our children to work with others and develops greater empathy for other people’s emotion.
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
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