by ClaraDon

Article by Anne Rimando

Parents want the best for their kids. Every parent wants his or her child to be healthy, successful and happy. Instilling music training back into the lives of children is vital for their future success as leaders. Learning music develops areas of a child that are not developed any other way.

I am a parent, music teacher and author of the Freddie the Frog Book series. The sole purpose of the creation and existence of Freddie the Frog is encapsulated in this impulsive quote by a six-year-old,

“I LOVE Freddie. That’s why I love music!”

Why is it important that kids love music? Music training is essential to the development of successful humans–our children. The next generation is doomed to mediocrity without it. We are at a critical time in our current generation’s creative development of future leaders. Those that are creative and bright in all areas will be our next leaders. Those who leave development of intentional creative processing out of education will only be human factory workers of others’ creative thoughts. Music and the arts develop and intentionally exercise creativity. Music does it best.

Freddie the Frog® is the mascot of music education for kids in the school system. Millions of kids in the U.S., Canada, and Australia love Freddie through their music teacher at school. Now it is time to reach the masses. The Freddie the Frog® adventures originated to provide an accessible and entertaining form of music education for use at school and home. Freddie is alive and well in the schools. Now it is time to bring him into the homes. Why is it important to bring music into the homes?

Contemplate the current state of physical exercise compared to 20, 30,40 years ago and beyond. There was no need for scheduled and intentional physical exercise before the 1980s. Physical exercise was part of our daily lives. A generation of obesity crept into humanity until critical mass made evident that intentional exercise was essential for physical fitness and health. Exercise equipment, gyms, clubs, DVDs, etc. is a profitable and growing market as humanity strives to stay in shape in today’s society.

In past generations, singing and playing instruments was an integral part of family life. It was the natural way to entertain yourself and others. We did not realize it, but we were also exercising our brain while we played, causing us to be creative, more vibrant, smarter, etc. To create leaders of the next generation, we need to focus on developing the whole brain. We can change the trend with intentional music training involving interactive music experiences from the earliest years and up–involving kids in the creative process rather than just passive consumers and critics. Freddie the Frog® adventures are an easy way to begin. Breathing life into the creative minds and souls of our children– the next generation of leaders.Every Child Needs Music

Why Music? Humans are “wired” for music. Until recently, scientists did not know how music affected the brain. The technology allows scientists to actually “see” brain activity via PET scans and MRI imaging scanning the blood flow in the brain. Our brains are “wired” with neural pathways. Most activities only cause a portion of the brain to “light up” with activity; thus, the saying, right brain/left brain, etc. But there are actually four parts to the brain and music makes ALL of the areas “light up” and create new neural pathways as a person is learning and playing an instrument. Those neural pathways remain in tact and can be used for other things besides music.

Music causes the mind to think smarter and creatively.

How? When playing music, the mind chooses how fast or slow to play, with what style, rhythm, phrasing, and feeling. It also tells the fingers when to move, reads and memorizes. When playing music, you do ALL of this at the SAME TIME!

• The more you play, the more you exercise your mind. The exercised mind thinks better, making a student smarter.• A universal high percentage of band, choir, or orchestra members consistently remain in the top 10% percentile academically year after year.• Studies show that music training profoundly affects brain development. • Students learning music are not smarter because they like music; they are smarter because they PLAY music.• Music is one of the very few whole brain activities, engaging all four parts of the brain! The only other functions that use both hemispheres are higher-level mathematics and logic processing, such as chess. All other tasks rely on the dominant use of either the left or right brain.

Every Child Deserves the Multiple Benefits of Music

Read more about our phenomenal brain and music…

Daniel Levitin passionately explores the connection between Music and the Brain in his book of the same name. Google his name, watch video clips on YouTube, or go to his website. Music has a huge impact on activity in the brain. The implications for music therapy and music education are profound. Just check out PBS video “The Music Instinct.” It’s an exciting time of discovering how little we know and how much there is to learn. There is definitely enough evidence to recognize it is not in this music teacher’s imagination.

If you are still skeptical about the need for music instruction in development, let’s look at the other benefits. • Socially, music is an ageless hobby creating interaction with a caliber of people that we all want our children to become. • Striving for excellence is a given in a musical group. Everyone has to perfect their part for the group to perform at their best-NObody “sits on the bench.” Everyone has to pull their weight or the whole group suffers. • Creativity, especially in jazz groups is developed, honed and embraced. Who couldn’t use more creativity in their workforce? Creativity is what makes the difference and gives any company the cutting edge.

There are many benefits of being involved in making music. Scientists are reluctant to state that playing a musical instrument makes you smarter, but all the indicators are there, so let’s look at it from the opposite angle.

Instead of trying to prove that music makes you smarter or good for you and your child, try to prove that it is not. I can’t think of a single reason how learning a musical instrument is detrimental, can you?Give your child every opportunity and advantage you can. Involve them in music lessons and watch them grow and mentally develop as they play, create, express, and struggle through the rigors of the discipline mastering an instrument. You will discover a more creative, brighter and mature person in the making.

Further information on the benefits of music education at:www.supportmusic.com

Google search “Music and the Brain” to read even more.

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