Youth Music, Report 2006 Back to News

Turning their ears on...
keeping their ears open
exploring the impact of musical activities
on the development of pre-school age children

"It has been well documented in recent years that there is some kind of almost 'magical' benefit for very young children to be found within music...

It is known that the brain of a baby and young child has the highest degree of neural plasticity (Johnson 2001; Katz & Shatz 1996) and that these early years provide the greatest opportunity for significant growth of the neural network (Gruhn 2002). Research shows that the neural network develops at great speed at this time so this is a period in a child's life when the learning process is fasttracked, when the pathways which enable information to be transported around the brain are being built. Research has focused on what the impact on this path-building might be if the child's stimuli are enhanced by enriched environments. 'The significance of the early environment may be associated with the period of rapid synaptic proliferation. in the first few months of life.' Whitebread (2002). The importance of developing enriched learning environments that offer the opportunity for young children and infants to experience quality interactions with peers and skilful adults is crucial to this development.


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