Here at the SSM Health Treffert Center we focus on strengths and find opportunities to provide our students with engaging learning activities. One way we do this is through our Monday morning music and movement program. The sessions are led by center staff playing keyboards and guitars. Children sing and dance along in the library, often requesting their favorite tunes. Several staff participants have contributed original compositions and hope to build a collection of songs to share with families. Thanks to a generous donation by the Libra Group Social Responsibility, children participate using new wooden rhythm instruments, taking turns so they can experience playing maracas, tambourines, castanets, and bells.
These activities are always a big hit with students and staff, especially on rainy or cold days. However, this is not just done for fun. A five-year study at the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute found that music instruction may actually speed up brain development in children in a variety of areas. Music may also help us learn math skills. Dr. Treffert frequently noted that music is just our creative brain doing math, and often referred to the similarities between math and music. In her book The Way I See It, Dr. Temple Grandin notes that “… music and math are a world of patterns, and children who think this way can have strong associative abilities.” Finally, music can help us focus on a task and improve our mood.
At the SSM Health Treffert Center, the music sessions offer an inclusive environment for all children. After lively music sessions, teachers and therapists ask children if they would like to stay for a few more minutes to get a closer look at the guitars. Little ones can then gently strum the guitar strings in a quieter environment. Sometimes the musicians make simple chord changes so the children recognize the song they are playing. These are such special moments for everyone in the room.
Music is an important part of our lives, but it is more than just an enjoyment. Our brains need it - and what is more fun for kids than dancing around to their favorite songs? So, move to the beat with kids! What a fun way to develop those relationships with our children while preparing their brains for a bright future in learning.
