How Does Music Help Develop Motor Skills In Young Children?

Almost immediately after birth, children begin to use their muscles to discover the world around them.  It is through these movements that they learn about the space in which they exist, the people and things around them. As they continue to grow these movements become more complex but as very vital to the quality of life in which they will live. As a matter of fact, French psychologist, Jean Piaget argues that apart from sensory experiences, motor experiences are at the heart of the intellectual development of children since it is through interaction with their environment that they do most of their learning.

Additionally, David Gallahue, the author of “Understanding Motor Development: Infants, Children, Adolescents, Adults” reiterates this fact when he said:

“Movement is at the very center of young children’s lives. It is an important facet of all aspects of their development, whether in the motor, cognitive, or affective domains of human behavior. To deny children the opportunity to reap the many benefits of regular, vigorous physical activity is to deny them the opportunity to experience the joy of efficient movement, the health effects of movement, and a lifetime as confident, competent movers.” 

It is for these very reasons that more attention is being placed on developing children’s motor skills. Music is one way in which children can develop these necessary skills. This is because learning to play a musical instrument involves much use of both large and fine muscles but more importantly, Neuro Rhythm suggests that when children are involved in music it automatically stimulates the area of the brain that is responsible for motor development and in so doing helps their bodies to create more organized movements. The fact is that the bodily movement is directly linked to the brain; hence stimulating the region of the brain that is responsible for movement will yield positive effects.

Academic Studies Shows a Connection Between Music Lessons & Motor Skills

Many studies reported a connection with music and improved motor skills. Among these, are studies done by Queenland University of Technology (QUT) to determine the effects of music therapy on the motor skills of disabled children. In their study carried out by a team of experts, it was discovered that music was not only effective in gaining children’s attention so that they can focus on building their motor skills, but it also motivated them to work towards a set goals. Additionally, their study also revealed that by stimulating the rhythmic area of the brain, motor responses and reflexes are also stimulated. This is quite ground breaking since it sends a message that music can help children with and without disabilities to improve their motor skills.

Additionally, Gottfried Schlaug a Researcher from the Harvard University in a study to determine the effects of musical training reported that there is a positive connection with music and the auditory and motor skills of early childhood children who were exposed to musical training at an early age. It was discovered that the children who were exposed to musical training displayed far more enhanced motor skills than their counterparts who had no musical exposure.

Forgeard, 2008; Hyde, 2009; Schlaug et al., 2005, further explains this crucial skill by emphasizing the fact that motor function is necessary if one is to be able to perform simple tasks such as writing, using the computer, and other physically demanding tasks that are necessary for learning in the classroom. They also stated that the part of the brain that is linked to sensory and motor function is enhanced through musical instruction and this is proven by the fact that children who are musically trained perform better in motor function than children who are not. It therefore means that if the region of the brain that is responsible for motor function is not developed adequately, the child will have difficulties in writing, drawing, painting, and performing other simple tasks that are required in the classroom and everyday life in general.

The Positive Impact Of Music On Children Is Universal

Interesting to note is universality of the effects of music. As evident by the fact that similar benefits have been seen in studies done around the world. A Study done in Iran by the Master of Education Management, University of zabol  along with other universities in Iran to determine the effect of music in improving motor skills reported that children who were exposed to music displayed significant improvement in their motor skills compared with those who were not. 40 mentally retarded children between ages 5-10 were used. After the experiment, it was discovered that musically trained children displayed improved motor coordination, motor control, muscle strength, oral motor skills, and eye-hand coordination. It was therefore concluded that music can be used to help children who have developmental delays due to birth defects and other illnesses.

Finally, Pub Med.Gov also reported that in a study to determine the effectiveness of music to improve fine motor abilities, it was reported that when the fine motor skills of the children who received two years of piano instructions were compared with those who had no formal instructions, the post test revealed that there was significant improvement in the fine motor skills of the children who were exposed to the two year piano lessons. There was also a notable difference in the speed of response among the two groups of children. It was therefore concluded that sound allows children to improve fine motor accuracy and speed. This most certainly strengthens the argument that children who are exposed to musical training are more likely to be neater, faster, and more accurate writers and artists.

Being proficient in motor function is a necessary requirement if your child is to fully discover and understand all that the world has to offer and meet his or her full potential. This skill is necessary for effective functioning both in and out of school. When development in this area is retarded for whatever reason, the child will suffer. It is for this very reason that parents should make use of every opportunity available to build and refine their children’s motor skills. Musical training can help children to improve their motor skills. Parents should therefore enroll their children in music lessons to foster the development of this necessary skill.

Consider enrolling your children in drum lessons in Austin, TX, voice lessons, guitar lessons, or something else - we would be happy to hold a free consultation.