Remember the days of ‘you can’t get a good job without Maths and Science’? More and more professionals are beginning to recognise the over-looked benefits of music and the detrimental effects of limiting it from the school curriculum.
Since 2001, various studies have confirmed that babies are born with perfect pitch, which has even been used by pitch-perfect mums to identify baby’s needs by the pitch of the cry. Recently, a ground-breaking three-year study completed in September 2008 now confirms that babies are also born with perfect rhythm. This European-funded project headed by Dr Susan Denham (University of Plymouth, UK) confirmed that babies’ brains are able to detect the smallest changes in beat automatically, whether awake or asleep. This finding will help to identify possible medical problems much earlier on, but like all skills must be used before they are lost as the child grows.
Phenomenal information is now available about how specific parts of the brain respond to different parts of music such as rhythm, pitch, timbre and harmony from studies done by cognitive psychologists such as Daniel Levitin (McGill University, Canada). The implications are remarkable in terms of the amount of music that schools should be making available in order to raise standards across the board, as the areas that music responds to are also responsible for concentration levels, pattern recognition, language and numeracy development, fine and gross motor co-ordination, social behaviour and emotional development, too.
In a 2005 study at the George Mason University (Virginia, USA), three- and four-year old children who attended regular music sessions were observed to have improved classroom behaviour, turn-taking, hand-eye co-ordination and time management, and were able to better plan self-directed activity and use more self-control. Found in adulthood, these qualities are considered to be skills for success. A further study on the American Football League players showed that ALL first team players were able to keep a steady beat, while only half of the second team players could do the same. This may imply that musical ability helps to perfect sports ability.
While music itself can’t catch a ball, it prepares one for when to expect it through rhythm. Music can’t balance your tax return, but it prepares the brain to see shapes both in the physical and in theory, helping to understand the method. Music can’t translate English to French, but it helps the brain to see the patterns in language. Music has even saved lives, according to a study from the University of Illinois, where medical students are trained to think of the Bee Gees ‘Stayin’ Alive’ when administering CPR, even students told they 'can't keep a beat'.
Listening to music involves more parts of the brain involuntarily than any other activity, and is enjoyable, as seen in the surge in music reality shows and karaoke, to surveys on children’s ‘future careers’ where pop or rock star are second only to 'celebrity' (Nov 2008). Even the media are highlighting just how interested children are in music and music-making, now needing the skills and opportunity to develop these interests on their path to success.
For years, creative-types have been seen as less-successful than academic counterparts, but times are changing and more creative specialists than ever are being recognised for their abilities and dedication, both in reputation and financially, so there really is no good reason that all children should not be receiving the highest music education from birth.
