Why a Top School in Kolkata Thinks Music is an Important Part of the Curriculum?

Gone are the days when schools only focused on learning through books. As a part of the efforts to impart holistic educations, a lot of good schools all over the country are emphasizing on the importance of music. Not only music but a lot of other extra-curricular activities like drama, sports, dancing etc. are taken into consideration. The importance of music is not limited to the overall social well-being of an individual but also has a direct role to play in making children sharper and smarter. There are several reasons why any good school in Kolkata or anywhere else, should include regular music lessons in their curriculum. There are many interesting ways to doing this and in this article we will cover some of those in detail.

Benefits of music in child development

Music is one of the several visual/aesthetic experiences that shapes our personalities. It helps us in processing information all around us in a more fluid manner, making us flexible in the thought process.

Improving our artistic intelligence, adds a lot of value to our lives. It is a very important skill set to teach children when they are young. Here are 5 benefits that including music in the curriculum has.

1.   Better arithmetic agility- It might seem unlikely, but math and music are complementary to each other. Because, music notes and compositions are based on numbers, when kids and young adults learn music, they get better with numbers too. Traditional methods like the abacus, is more effective in teaching kids math because they help them to picturize numbers. Music has the same effect. This is why one of the best schools in Kolkata has them both.

2.  Enhanced science skills- Learning music from a young age, helps a child to better at his or her reasoning skills. This in turn, impacts how they grasp core scientific concepts. Focus is another important aspect that develops in the formative years of a child’s life. Music helps to calm teenagers and thus, is a great way to evade unnecessary stress.

3.   Improved reading skills- Learning music helps a child to concentrate on the smaller details, in addition to increasing their attention span. With these two skills enhanced, they become better readers-making fewer mistakes than before. Communication, both written and spoken is an essential combination that helps in succeeding. Instilling this habit right from the formative years, has a greater impact than when learnt later in life.

4.   Better community and social skills- Music in schools is taught as a group activity and this helps children become better socially. A lot of kids and young adults face considerable problems in making friends and music gives them the best platform to come out of the shell. Team work, understanding different perspectives and taking peer criticism constructively, are some of the other benefits.

5.   Increased memory, focus and patience- In addition to the 4 points above, taking lessons in music has a considerable impact on developing a child’s personality. It teaches them patience and the importance of mutual respect. Their motor skills and memory become sharper with time and practice.

Summing up, music is truly the language of love and is one of the most popular extra-curricular skills. All the above benefits make a child a better citizen by impacting the core areas of development. By including music in their curriculum, schools have seen considerable amount of progress in their children’s development.