If you have ever left musical instruments lying around where children can get a hold of them,youknow what happens. Most of the time, they will pick up the instrument and really have a go with it. Likewise, when you give a child a musical toy, the same result usually occurs. Children, by their very nature, love music and they love to makemusic. Children and music truly do go hand in hand. While every child is different and will approach music different, virtually every child loves music and will be musical given a chance and the right tools. If you understand how children and music correspond early on, you are likely to encourage your child’s lifelong passion for music.

So what is the relationship between children and music? Part of why children love music is that a love of music is hardwired into our brains. Music has the ability to stimulate the brains pleasure center, or, in other words, it makes us feel good. It’s no real surprise that children like bangingon stuff (as every parent well knows). There are a variety of reasons for this. One is that they are attempting to make their own music because it feels good and is fun. The second reason is that music allows them to explore their world around them. Young children are very much about exploring the world around them and finding out what makes “this and that” tick. Ina word, children love music because its fun and allows them to burn off some of their endless energy. For that reason, it is a good idea to put children and music together at any possible opportunity.

Children also love musical instruments because most children either want to be noticed or want to be included. Adults often forget how remarkably perceptive children are on a day-to-day basis. They notice rather quickly that those who are playing instruments are a focal point of attention and are often part of a group. Both of these factors are appealing to children and music can be used to keep your child learning and full of positivity.

The job of the parent in this process is to encourage a child’s natural love of music. This can be done by exposing a child to different kinds of music and different kinds of instruments. Children and music are meant to go together. Enrolling your child in a program such as MusikGartenis a great way for the both parent and child to enjoy singing, dancing, and playing instruments together, while exploring a child’s natural love of music.

The Mozart Effect, put in its simplest terms, is the idea that listening to music by Mozart will make one smarter. Much of the theory centers on the notion that if a child is listening to Mozart and other classical music, they will get smarter as a result. When one looks into the specifics of the Mozart Effect, what is actually being stated is a little different, however. The Mozart Effect is believed to increase a person’s performance in spatial-temporal reasoning, which is associated with increased scores and ability in fields such as engineering, science and mathematics.

It is important to note that the theory is controversial, and there is still a good deal of speculation into whether or not the theory is in fact valid. For example, some studies have shown that the boosting in scores from the Mozart Effect is limited and temporary. However, other studies have shown dramatic improvement in spatial-temporal reasoning in young students who were given private piano lessons.

There are a host of other studies that show that the Mozart Effect is having some sort of effect on people overall performances, specifically in regards to spatial-temporal reasoning. Overall, there seems to be, for lack of a better term, something going on.

Ultimately how much, if any benefit, there is from the Mozart Effect remains controversial. However, given the fact that there may indeed be a benefit in spatial-temporal reasoning, it is probably yet another point in favor of having children, especially young ones, begin music lessons.

There are, of course, already proven and time-tested benefits of learning to play an instrument. The added possibility that it might increase spatial-temporal reasoning is only an extra bonus. If the Mozart Effect does eventually get confirmed scientifically, your child will be a step ahead of the curve!