REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER Dee’s Message
11TH MARCH 2022
Dear Parents and Caregivers, Many, many years ago, Plato made the insightful comment that “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” We can all probably think of uplifting moments when our spirits have been lifted by a piece of music, or when a song has taken on added significance because of the association it has with a particular person or moment in our lives. There are those artists who paint, and authors who write, with music in the background. And some of us might risk our creaky early-morning voices to sing in the shower, or while driving to work in rush-hour traffic. Music is like that – it hovers just under the surface of our lives, waiting to spring forth and lift our spirits. Researchers have long known the benefits of introducing music and songs to babies, toddlers and young children. Music has the ability to transcend boundaries, as it touches the cognitive, social-emotional, creative and even physical aspects of a young child’s life.
It allows them to express their emotions in a manner unlike just about anything else, as their sounds and imitated words are often expressed with unrestrained glee. Music and sounds hold a fascination for children, and this is so evident in their weekly Music lessons and in other opportunities to engage with music and song in their classes. The combination of sounds, words and movements draws them in completely, and while some children might initially be somewhat reticent, it’s not long before they too are swept up in the joy of the music. Whether in these structured lessons, or the songs which burble unrestrained from their lips while they work away at something in class, music should never be far from a young child’s experience of life. While their prerogative to change lyrics and tunes might give us some moments of laughter, these too are important aspects of engaging with music. In a sense, they are making the music their own.
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER
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