Music for the Mind

Using song to help toddlers develop their speech skills.

Brown-eyed Kirsten approached a sparkling triangle and smiled broadly as she heard the instrument's clear tone ring at her gentle touch. A few minutes later, she rolled across her mother's lap, giggling as she sang about a steamroller. One of eight children in a 40-minute Kindermusik class, Kirsten, 3, loves to sing and play instruments. But the focus of this international program extends beyond talent. Kindermusik is a curriculum based on the total development of children from birth through age 7 involving vocalization, movement, listening, playing and creativity.

"Kirsten has never been to preschool, and this has helped her learn to take turns, share, wait her turn and to express herself," said her mother, Carrie, 29, of NSW. Kirsten's parents have carried the theory of learning through song into the house, where their daughter practices singing the alphabet and her address.

At 20 months old, Emily is one of the youngest participants in the once-a-week class, but already is reacting positively. An only child, Emily is learning to interact with other children and to mimic different skills, said her mother, Lisa, 28, of Noosaville.
"More parents are interested in the benefits of such programs for their children. From 2001 to 2006, the program saw a 100 percent increase in families enrolled worldwide", said Julie Boggins, spokesperson for Kindermusik International.

Those trained to teach Kindermusik say the program improves children's memory and recall, and it helps them learn to talk about activities and feelings through creative imitation and drama. Program research indicates that the language skills of many preschoolers go beyond the simple labelling of words. Music helps the child expand those words into sentences and patterns.

"I certainly know of parents who report that music programs help their child with expressive and social skills," said Laurence Leonard, professor of speech language pathology at Purdue University. "The very notion of the (Kindermusik) program follows the idea of language practice -- that young children might be stimulated to talk through music."

Some early childhood development experts believe constant stimulation -- listening to music or hearing stories -- triggers a child's speech. Pat Kuhl, a neuroscientist with the University of Washington, wrote in one report: "We used to think language began at the one-year stage when kids started producing their first words and they started to understand words. Now what we're learning is that well before the stage at which babies understand or produce any words at all, their hearing systems are beginning to be sculpted by language input."

Programs such as Kindermusik exercise a child's brain, sparking neurological connections that introduce speech patterns. And with children who might be developmentally delayed, music is believed to give them an outlet and a means of relating to other children. Debra Nethercutt, director of children and youth music at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, has seen firsthand the benefits of music for children with special needs. "I know of a little boy named Josh who has Down syndrome and communicated primarily through sign language. After spending time in a Kindermusik class, he began to say 'hello' and 'good-bye,' " said Nethercutt. A child who was severely autistic also began to recognize and select animal sounds through music. Although he wasn't verbalizing, he was communicating.

For children with and without developmental delays, a broad-based musical experience can be as simple as singing familiar nursery rhymes at home or in a classroom setting. Children in Kindermusik classes learn the songs from take-home materials. When they come to class, they usually have heard the music played in their homes. They clap their hands, shake jingle bells, jump and dance with colourful scarves. At one recent class, instructor Charlene directed children to shake their bells "behind," "beside," "backwards" and "forwards." As they responded to directions, the youngsters also learned rhythm. Charlene invited them to try different instruments. When she pulled three drums into the centre of the room, 2-year-old Aaron attempted to stack the instruments. She encouraged him to experiment with making different sounds and gave him credit for having a creative idea.

With a parent as partner, the children pretended to pull a wagon and fix its broken wheel, singing about the predicament as they worked. They moved quickly to hugging their partners and then pretending to row boats. "My husband and I are both in primary school education. We know the benefits of early intervention when it comes to child development," said Tricia, 32, Aaron's mother. Although Aaron is naturally a non-verbal child, Tricia, of NSW, said her son is eager to learn. "Music gives him a comfort level for expression," she said. "It helps with self-discipline and just provides fun. At home, he'll just spontaneously break into song and I know he's happy."
Find a Kindermusik Class near You,
Go to www.kindermusik.com.au, or if not in Aust/NZ then go to www.kindermusik.com.