Blog

We all know how music can help in the overall development in a child, mentally and emotionally. Let me talk in more detail about an area where research has shown music can help.

Researchers have found that structured piano lessons help preschoolers develop a type of reasoning called spatial-temporal reasoning, that may help them do well in Math, Science and engineering.

Spatial-temporal reasoning is the ability to reason in space and through time. It's what a person putting together a puzzle uses to envision the picture the pieces will make. It's what a person playing chess uses to anticipate and respond to an opponent's move. It's what an engineer uses when designing a bridge. When children play the piano, they're not just playing notes, they're thinking ahead in patterns. Music is a sequence of patterns.

Of course you're not going to teach your kid higher math or chess or engineering at early age, but music is tapping into the same inherent structure in the brain that will be later used for this. But parents who take this research to heart may have trouble finding individual private piano lessons for their preschooler. Most instructors who offer them prefer to wait until a child is school age. They prefer the child to be more 'obedient' and can sit down longer listening to them. That is because the lesson is still delivered in the old-fashioned way!

You need to capture the interest and attention of the young child. Once they are interested in something they will be willing to do the same task over and over again, many times over. I am sure you have experienced your child wanting to play a game or go to a place again just because they have enjoyed the experiences.

In music, it is the same. Most music courses for pre-schoolers are from overseas and not adapted to the local children. Most also train only the hearing, i.e. listening to a tune and playing by memory. We believe the young mind is capable of doing much more and in a way that they will be enjoying it.

Our Music for the Intelligent Mind (MIM) courses train not only the hearing but the eye as well. There will be a variety of musical games and play, going into speed reading, memory training, music mapping, music analysis, music theory and piano playing. Children at that age need a lot of visuals, teaching aids, games and toys to keep them engaged and also to learn more effectively.

I will end off here and leave you to think about some of the points that are mentioned above. Next time, we will talk about how important is your support and patience in your child's music education.

If you enjoy this message, feel free to forward it to your friends who can possibly benefit from the information.