Doe, a deer, a female deer, ray, a drop of golden sun… Chances are, you didn’t read, but sang along to these lines in tune to the famous song from The Sound of Music. Remember that delightful movie, with the governess singing and dancing while educating the children in her care? Well, who can forget that, really? The singing and dancing aside, did you know that a music-infused curriculum is one of the best ways to go about early childhood education?
Read on to find out why and how you can give your child one of the best early years in their life!
How Music Benefits The Development Of Language And Literacy
Music goes far beyond the fun of singing and dancing. In fact, a music-infused curriculum may be the best early childhood education for it boasts a host of benefits.
In a joint–study led by Dr Carol Loy, Director of Curriculum and Professional Development, Kinderland, and the National Institute of Education, music was shown to “contribute to preschool-age children’s awakening to different subject matters, particularly to reading and writing.”
Research has shown that music-making catalyses better performance regardless of socio-economic background, and children fare better in reading proficiency among peers of the same age compared to those with no music involvement.
Where literacy is concerned, young children who have had music experience before they start school are shown to have an edge over their peers in areas such as vocabulary and reading. Through music, children are encouraged to listen carefully and pay attention to variations in sound, and to respond to what they hear.
These are important to literacy, as children will need to be able to differentiate the sounds within words in order to read and write them. In addition, listening to music and singing help to improve vocabulary, enunciation and comprehension1.
A music-infused curriculum also helps children to fare better in math and physics because at some level, all music is math. Music is about time signatures, beats per minute and formulaic progressions. Thus, in learning music, the part of the brain used when doing math is reinforced. Studies show that children who play instruments are able to complete complex mathematical problems better than those who don’t2.
Other benefits of music-infused curriculum include honing a child’s gross motor skills in handling musical instruments in addition to communication and social skills learnt by playing in an ensemble. Different music genres also play an unspoken rule in managing children’s temperament!
Music-infused Curriculum: Why Music And School Should Not Work In Silos!
Many parents do recognise the benefits of their children learning music and choose to send their children for music lessons outside of school.
This isn’t the same as a music-infused curriculum where music is infused into many aspects of their learning. Furthermore, some children may think of it as something ‘extra’ and even view it as a chore.
Especially at young age, children don’t necessarily enjoy going from school to another confined learning space!
Kinderland – A Music-Infused Curriculum From Infancy
So if you’re looking to combine the best of both worlds, look no further. A music-infused curriculum is one of if not the best early childhood education you can offer your child. Kinderland offers you just that. At Kinderland, children are exposed to music even during infancy!
Through their continuous progression in Kinderland, children not only benefit from the skills of playing music but also in other areas such as building socio-emotional skills, better moderated temperament and active listening amounting to greater self-confidence.
Kinderland’s Curriculum Framework
Here’s how Kinderland’s curriculum works. Its music-infused curriculum is built around the K.I.N.D.E.R. multidisciplinary lands covering six developmental domains based on learning areas identified by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in the Nurturing Early Learners Framework:
- Kineticland – strengthens motor skills through physical activities
- Intelliland – hones children’s language & literacy through curated programmes
- Natureland – spurs inquisitive minds through discovery of the world
- Digiland – understand numeracy and build logical thinking for real-life application
- EQland – develop character by refining social and emotional skills
- cReativeland – encourage creative expression through Arts
In addition, children are given the opportunity to hone their skills at an advanced level by participating in the Marching Band, where they learn to take on bigger roles such as handling instruments, listening to instructions and remembering formation to deliver musical performances.
Why You Can Trust Kinderland For Your Child’s Early Education
Kinderland is one of the leading pioneers in Singapore’s Early Childhood landscape providing quality preschool education for children from 2 months to 6-years of age. It was founded in 1978 with a mission to provide quality music-infused curriculum which enhances language-literacy for young children. Kinderland has unlocked the potential of over 100,000 children across the region through keyboard, percussion instruments, solfege singing and rhythm training.
Mums and dads, we are sure you want nothing short of the best early childhood education for your precious little one. Instead of only focusing on how quickly they acquire literacy skills, why not explore a music-infused curriculum that has lasting benefits? Contact Kinderland to learn more about their music-infused curriculum and to schedule a visit to the school, for seeing is believing!
References:
- https://www.teachearlyyears.com/learning-and-development/view/literacy-through-music-communication
- https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/correlation-between-math-and-music-ability
