Why Provide Music Instruction to Children? Part III – Critical Thinking

As a parent, there are many things in life that we often have to think about critically.  You may think about whether your child is hitting the developmental milestones at the appropriate time or where to move so that your child can attend the best school.  The third life skill in the series is critical thinking and this is one of those life skills we just can’t live without.

1. Self Discipline and Public Speaking

2. Math Skills

3. Critical Thinking

4. Relaxation

 

Critical Thinking

A musician thinks critically about their music all the time.  As they become a better musician they add more depth to how they think about a musical piece.

Whether the music is sung or played it requires the synchronization of multiple bodily functions to produce sound.  You must use your eyes, breath, and simultaneously move different body parts all at the same time.  In addition, you must think about the sound that ends up emerging and make adjustments to produce what is thought of as a pleasant sound.

As a singer, I learned about poise, posture and interpretation.  To sing a song expressively and make others feel and understand what you are singing about, a musician must think about what the composer was trying to convey when he wrote the piece.  They must analyze the piece, the notes/composition and words to understand the piece.  Only then can they convey the emotions needed to make their audience feel a piece.

You won’t have to analyze Beethoven’s 5^th in a Kindermusik With Dominique

class, but you will help your child make the beginning connections needed for critical thinking in the future.  Through observation they will learn the basics in this complex life skill.  Preview a class for FREE to see what it’s all about.

Why Provide Music Instruction to Children? Part II: Math Skills

Why should you provide music instruction to children?  I’m sure it’s a question that is on many parents’ minds when thinking about what kind of activities to involve themselves and their child in each week.  In my last post I discussed the importance of self-discipline in the study of music and how it can contribute to success in life.  I also mentioned how those same skills eventually helped me with my public speaking.  These are just two of the life skills I was able to develop as I studied music over the years.  Some other important ones are:

1. Self Discipline and Public Speaking

2. Math Skills

3. Critical Thinking

4. Relaxation

 In the next part of this four-part series we’ll discuss the importance of math skills in music and life.  No one will dispute the importance of math as a life skill, but what does math have to do with music?

Math Skills

Can you answer any of the following questions?

1. Do you know how many thirty-second notes are in one beat?  How many thirty-second notes would you find in a 4/4 measure?
2. Are you able to pick up a piece of music and not only read it, but anticipate what it will sound like before it’s played?
3. When you look at a new piece of music for the first time can you quickly know how far apart the notes are and make a fairly accurate attempt to play or sing the correct pitches?

When you use math in music, you can find the answers to these questions easier.  Music is as much math and science as it is art.  While some of the skills used are somewhat elementary, such as the use of fractions.  Others parts of music get increasingly difficult and require more math and intuition as you move along.  Sight-reading is one particular skill in which it is quite difficult to become proficient.  Continued practice and an increasing ability to remember and recognize patterns and intervals will help you to become a better sight reader.

In a Kindermusik with Dominique class you will help your child begin to recognize and memorize patterns through song and musical play.  Contact me to try out a FREE preview class and see for yourself.

Why Provide Music Instruction to Children? Part I: Self Discipline and Public Speaking

There were many reasons why it became important to me to start my own business and work with children.  I wanted to contribute to my family, but also to stay home with my child.  Music has always been my passion, so this business was the perfect mixing of both.

While music in itself is enjoyable, the most important aspects of the study of music were the life skills that I learned along the way.  In this series, I will discuss in a bit more detail why each is important and how music can help your child attain these skills.  Some of the most important life skills I gleaned were:

1. Self Discipline and Public Speaking

2. Math Skills

3. Critical Thinking

4. Relaxation

Self Discipline and Public Speaking

As a singer you learn that self-discipline, practice and consistency are important to learning a song and performing it well.  These skills really lent themselves to public speaking.  When you sing in front of a group of critical peers, you must be overly prepared and the above skills are the only way to achieve it.

Connecting it to Your Child

The above skills were all things I learned over the years as I studied music.  When I was a school-aged child, I gained most of my knowledge through direct classroom instruction.  However, as I grew up, more and more of the learning occurred on my own.  Planned practice sessions were very important as well as the increased knowledge of piano playing in helping me to take the learning into my own hands as time passed.  This didn’t happen for me over night, so one of the best things you can do for your child is to check out a Kindermusik with Dominique class.  In our classes, we will touch on each of the above skills slowly.  As your child progresses in the Kindermusik curriculum, they will adopt these learning skills for themselves.  These tools will become the foundation they need to progress further in life and this is the best toolbox you can give your child/children for their future.