Many parents, administrators and educators are no strangers to conversations surrounding the topic of Music and art programs being non-existent in school curriculums or being slowly phased out of school curriculums. With this reality we believe it is important to highlight the benefits of music education as it pertains to “whole child” development.
What are some of the benefits of music and movement education as it relates to educating the “whole child?”
According to Northern Illinois University Child Development and Family Center, some benefits of music and movement for children include:
- Development of small and large motor skills
- Improves balance (coordination and rhythm through dance and other movement activities)
- Refines listening skills such as changes in tempo and pitch
- Encourages creativity and imagination
- The Keys 4 Success program also helps to Sharpen concepts about the world by learning about different cultures/languages
For many educators, teaching the whole child also means that every emotion, interest and concern of a student holds significance. At Keys 4 Success we consider this same approach and have infused our curriculum with social emotional learning components.
One of the most rewarding things about music and movement education is the ability to witness these benefits as they occur in real time. For example, children learning to play an instrument are explicitly being asked to develop their motor skills as they pick up, move, pluck and otherwise interact with these tangible objects. Those same children working together in a band are also learning about group dynamics through cooperative experiences. This is why we believe supplementing existing curriculums with enrichment programs like the Keys 4 Success program better serves the overall development of our children.
What makes Keys 4 Success such a dynamic program is that our curriculum is not limited to just the use of instruments as we also incorporate movement, technology, social emotional learning as well as exposure to different languages and cultures. Our curriculum is also designed to naturally complement other areas of study like math and reading comprehension as we stay true to our mission statement of “Unlocking unlimited potential through music education.”
Our goal is to use music as a medium to educate the whole child and equip our children with the tools necessary for them to be able to experience life more fully as well as create and shape their unique perspectives within this world.
Can we put a price behind the power of cognitive development, creativity and self expression that music and movement education helps our students to experience?
By sharing some of these benefits we hope you too see that music and movement education has a positive impact on the overall development of our children. The Keys 4 Success program is the best way to keep quality and affordable music and movement education in our schools.