Parents and educators intuitively know the many benefits of singing and music for young children. It’s why children learn the alphabet through songs, PBS’s Daniel Tiger sings to teach emotional regulation, and lullabies are used to put babies to sleep.
But there is also a growing body of research supporting a link between music and brain development, particularly reading skills. Studies have shown that singing helps children learn vocabulary And identify sounds in wordsknown as phonological awareness. Listen to music too reduces anxiety and promotes bonding between caregivers and children, research shows. Playing instruments has been found to strengthen fine motor control and executive function.
Experts say giving more time to music in early childhood classrooms could be one way to improve children’s outcomes, particularly at a time when reading sheet music are at a standstill after the pandemic.
“Increasingly in early childhood education, if you look at the requirements, we emphasize literacy and math proficiency,” said Dennie Palmer Wolf, a senior fellow at the WolfBrown research and consulting group and author of a book. recent report with the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall on how music affects child development. “Visual arts, dance, music are put aside. »
When it comes to access to music, opportunities are unequal and limited for many children. In the early years, exposure to the arts depends largely on the ability and resources of parents or guardians. And although almost everyone can sing or chant, many caregivers lack confidence in their musical abilities, Palmer Wolf said. Music lessons for children can be expensive, and access to free options, such as those at public libraries, varies greatly by community.
In some states, nonprofits are trying to fill the gap by offering music programs in locations already frequented by families and young children. In Minnesota, the MacPhail Center for Musica music school that serves thousands of students each year in the Twin Cities, has partnered with local health clinics to offer free parent-child music lessons.
In Houston, the Prelude Music Foundation offers free music lessons through local early childhood programs, with a focus on underserved communities. And in New York, the Weill Music Institute launched music initiatives in child care programs, public hospitals and correctional facilities to encourage parents to sing and make music with their children.
Another state-funded project in Minnesota provided $600,000 for an intervention called Tune in to reading. From 2016 to 2021, children in 25 elementary schools across the state used karaoke-style software that encouraged more singing.
“Singing is natural, it precedes speaking,” said Ann C. Kay, co-founder and educational coordinator of the project. By encouraging more singing, Kay said, teachers can “grow young brains for reading.” The program, run by a nonprofit called Rock ‘n’ Read Project, was used for 14 hours over a 12- to 16-week period. A report submitted to Parliament after the program ended indicated that the children who participated did notable progress in literacy.
The program now aims to introduce more music into early childhood classrooms by raising awareness among educators and parents of the effects of music and singing on literacy. This year, the Rock ‘n’ Read Project is partnering with four Head Start preschool classes in Minneapolis to train teachers and encourage daily singing and basic musical skills, like rhythms, rhythm and tone. By introducing music at an early age, Kay says the program hopes to develop young children’s literacy skills and ultimately close the reading achievement gap.
“Auditory processing is key to language and literacy,” Kay said. “That’s how it starts.”
This story about early literacy was produced by The Hechinger Report, an independent, nonprofit news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Subscribe to the Hechinger newsletter.
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