Page 24 - ParentsWorld March 2020 flipbuilder

nurturing 21st century children
activity

zone

The joy & benefits of

lEARNING MUsIC

While listening to music has palliative effects, encouraging children to learn to play a
musical instrument not only reduces stress but enables their cognitive development

tanuja gomes

ave you experienced how the stress and strains cognitivE dEvELoPMEnt
of a hard school/work day melt away when you In multiple studies conducted, and reports published
Hlisten to your favourite musical tracks? listening around the world, it’s been clearly established that music
to music has a calm and soothing effect on the body, slows education greatly aids the cognitive development of chil-
down heart and pulse rate, and lowers blood pressure and dren. Children who learn music have higher IQs because
stress hormone levels. While hearing music has palliative music engages the left and right brain simultaneously.
effects, encouraging children to learn to play a musical A study conducted jointly by the University of Wiscon-
instrument not only reduces stress but enables their sin and University of California at Irvine in 1997 indicates
cognitive development. that three-four-year-olds with eight months of music in-

parentsworld • march 2020 24