The Roles of the Parent and Teacher in the Children’s Music Classroom

We have all heard about “helicopter parenting” (and from time to time may be guilty of it ourselves), where a parent injects themselves into the activity, experiences, or problems of a child, particularly in educational institutions. While this kind of involvement in a child’s education is considered detrimental to their long term well-being, parental involvement and participation in the early childhood music studio is highly encouraged. The following synopsis is based on a series of podcasts from Musikgarten that delves into the parental role in an early childhood music and movement classroom.

Parental Roles in Early Childhood Music Education

When exploring the role of the parent in the physical and psychological well-being of children in the classroom, one of the most important benefits of parental involvement is that the caregiver can immerse themselves into the experience and become an active part of the learning process.  Through modeling and participating, not only does the parent get the enjoyment of making music with their child, but also benefit from the bonding that happens during the process. In the earliest stages of childhood, children have been mimicking their parents for some time, so having them alongside in the music classroom seems natural. Today’s caregivers are bombarded with optional activities for their children, but most do not ask for full participation other than to perhaps register, transport, and provide snacks. It can be daunting for parents to adjust to this role in a classroom setting, especially when surrounded by other parents. So, there is also modeling going on between the teacher and the caregivers, as well as between parents. And because the teacher is leading the activities in the classroom, the parent’s main role is to simply be present and have fun with their child.

The Role of Early Childhood Music Teachers in Making Parents Feel Comfortable

Just as a child may feel apprehensive and nervous about a new classroom setting, teachers should keep in mind that parents and caregivers may also be feeling self-conscious about participation. While they may regularly participate in instructed group activities such as yoga or church groups, being asked to sing and “act silly” in front of others can be intimidating. Physical or psychological limitations may also make the caregiver hesitate to participate in activities, such as confidence in singing or getting up and down on the floor.

Just as with the child, the teacher’s role is to be aware of reluctance in the parent as well and provide a comfortable atmosphere in which to participate. In addition, it’s important to remind caregivers that their child craves their participation, whether its singing or movement. The child does not care how well the parent sings, but loves to hear their voice because of the comfort it provides and a sense of safety since birth. Teachers should continue to encourage the parents to participate and find the level of comfort that will prompt participation.

One interesting result of good parent participation is as a child eventually finds their voice, they may actually ask parents to participate less by putting their hand over their mouth or even asking them to leave. While it is important to encourage the child to find their own voice, it’s also the teacher’s role to tell both that the class is a family class and should be shared together. As the child grows older, they will not only find their voice, but also be able to share that voice with others in a musical setting.

Parent and caregiver participation in the early childhood music classroom setting is important in the healthy development for a child’s love and understanding of music. The comfort and modeling it provides is invaluable to developing an affinity in learning and creating music. In addition to music curriculum, the teachers role is to encourage both parent and child to participate while simply having fun.

The Importance of Parental Involvement in Children’s Music Education

In the early summer months of May and June, children across the US celebrate their parents on Mother’s and Father’s days. The impact of caregivers in early childhood is immeasurable. Whether it’s a mother, father, grandmother, uncle, stepparent, or foster parent, educators have long known the positive influence that caregiver involvement has on the education and development of children. That is no exception for early childhood music classes, where parental and caregiver participation contributes to a formula for success.

The Impact of Family Involvement in Early Childhood Education

Researchers for decades have pointed to parental/caregiver involvement as a key success factor across nearly all aspects of early childhood development. This impact has been ranked above many other background influencers such as socioeconomic status or kind of school attended. That degree of importance also extends beyond individual caregivers to include family and community.  Interaction between caregivers, students, and teachers provide a two-way benefit whereas teachers learn about a family’s culture while, the family in turn learns the goals of the curriculum and educational approach. Twenty years of research show that by preparing children’s readiness for school, classroom behavior and attendance, test scores, and academic performance are vastly improved. In addition to academic and school related benefits, caregiver involvement also benefits the child in several other ways:

  • Development of self-confidence and motivation
  • Better social skills and relationships
  • Less likely to develop behavioral issues
  • Builds a foundation of resilience into adulthood https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/three-early-childhood-development-principles-improve-child-family-outcomes/
  • Helps the child to develop independence

The Importance of Caregiver Involvement in Early Childhood Music Classes

Just as with traditional academics, research has also shown that parental involvement positively impacts early childhood music programs. The benefits are wide ranging, specifically reinforcing a positive bond between caregiver and child which helps to build confidence and self-esteem. As a result, the child benefits from:

  • Better understanding of cultural ties to music
  • Increased IQ, which reinforces understanding of musical concepts
  • Observed social Interaction through group music and singing
  • Language and enunciation skills through singing
  • Tactile and spatial development through observation and mimicry of instruments

The relationship between parent/caregiver and child is a strong bond that impacts success in life. A positive relationship yields many benefits for learning and can help to advance childhood development from the earliest stages. Extending this strong connection to the classroom, whether it be traditional academics or early childhood music classes, provides multiple rewards for child and caregiver alike.

Using Nature to Teach Children’s Music

Throughout our time on earth, humans have always had a fundamental connection with nature. And with the discovery of instruments dating back as far as 40,000 years, music has certainly been woven into our culture before written history. Experts from various fields of science believe that music even predated speech, as early humans communicated through sounds and movements that mimicked their natural world. While the research on the connectedness of music and language development is still relatively young and limited, the relationship of nature and music is well established.

The Relationship Between Nature and Music

All of the world is vibration. In fact, it can be said that earth itself has a constant “heartbeat” of 7.83 beats per second created by global electromagnetic resonances caused by lighting in the ionosphere. Called the Schumann Resonance, this “vibration of life” is believed to be connected to and have influence on bioregulation in humans. Despite the theory of a biochemical connection to nature itself, recorded history has shown that music and nature have been indisputably linked. Every known culture in the world partakes in some form of music. In fact, there is a scientific study devoted to the study of music and cultures called Ethnomusicology.

While it is hard to trace the origins of music in early humans, many primitive cultures have music that mimics and involves sounds of animals and the natural world. These were used for communication, hunting, storytelling, and ritual. Much later, nature continued to influence great classical compositions, including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 ‘Pastoral’, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, or Brahms’ C Minor Symphony. Nature has continued to inspire music across the ages and all genres.

Using Nature to Teach Children’s Music

Nature based education is not a new concept but has gained attention in recent years because of the threat of climate change and increased severe weather events. Yet using direct interaction with the natural world has been utilized by teachers and caregivers for generations. In fact, a prominent nature-based education initiative, Nature Study, was followed in the United States between the 1890s and 1920s.

Musikgarten Nature and Music

Early childhood music teachers will often take their classrooms outside to help develop listening skills while demonstrating the connection between nature and music. They may ask the children to sit still and listen to birdsongs or the running water in a babbling brook. This helps not only to demonstrate musical concepts, but also self-control and respect. Many songs about nature and the animal kingdom are featured in children’s music, while early children’s music curricula are based on the concept. Many modern musicians use natural sounds exclusively as content for their compositions and to teach others about the fragility of our ecosystem.

Finally, many instruments can be created with things found in nature including hollow logs, dried gourds, or even river rocks and sticks. But the instrument that can always be used anywhere is voice. Singing in and about nature inspires children to respect their environment while enjoying the multitude of musical sounds it provides.

The Importance of Music for Happiness in Child Development

This week marks the first official day of Spring, and for most people, Spring signifies awakening, renewal, and new growth. Most of us seem to be happier in Spring, and there is scientific evidence to support that. With longer and warmer days, the increased exposure to sunlight increases the production of serotonin “The Confidence Molecule” in the body, while decreasing the production of melatonin. That chemical change, along with the psychological change of being outside more, makes Spring a very happy time for most. As we would assume, happiness is very important for our emotional and physical health. But even more so, happiness in is key to healthy development in children.

While many factors contribute to the happiness of children, music is one factor that can have a very positive and lasting effect.

The Importance of Happiness in Childhood   

When most of us look upon childhood, we can remember a variety of events, activities, and people that evoke feelings of happiness, sadness, being frightened, or upset. While caregivers tend to put a great emphasis on the extent to which different influences or activities shape a child’s future success, research shows that memories of childhood are linked more to social events and activities than any solitary ones.

Adults are more likely to fondly remember social interaction at events such as a birthday party rather than the actual gifts they received. Happiness in childhood social interactions encourages kindness and good moral behavior, and helps to prevent tantrums, defiance and rebellious behavior. In addition, adults who reported higher levels of well being during childhood were more likely to report being satisfied with their adult life, including work, relationships and health. This should be no surprise, but caregivers often ponder over the best methods of providing children a happy environment. While the various factors are too many to list here, there is a distinct correlation between music and childhood happiness.

Music and Childhood Happiness

As we have explored in this blog before, music facilitates listening, learning, language development, independence, and initiative in children.

Music also helps reduce childhood anxiety and depression, while promoting healthy and restful sleep. All of these factors affect moods in children, and as a result, their developing outlook on life. Furthermore, early childhood music classes promote social interaction and cooperation, which as mentioned above is a key factor in memories of a happy childhood. Singing and playing together in a group provides the positive feelings of shared community and teamwork. Music increases the release of endorphins and dopamine in the brain, which play a role in closeness and connection with others. Exposure to music from the earliest stages of childhood increases a positive world outlook and happiness. Group early childhood music classes especially benefit a child’s well-being, as it becomes a way to practice cooperation, communication, and interaction with peers.

Spring is a time when nature seems to come awake in many ways, including more music. For example, Canaries stop singing every autumn when the brain cells responsible for song generation die, growing back in the winter months so the birds can sing their songs in Spring. While birdsong may not be a sign of happiness in birds, it certainly brings joy to many who hear it as the sun begins shining longer and brighter.

Ella Jenkins – First Lady of Children’s Music

Anyone who is involved in children’s music is familiar with the name Ella Jenkins. Given the honorific title “The First Lady of Children’s Folk Song,” Jenkins is an iconic American folk singer, multi-instrumentalist, and perhaps most impactfully, a beloved children’s music writer and performer. Her 1995 album of children’s songs, Multicultural Children’s Songs remains the Smithsonian Folkways most popular release. Jenkins has spent her life devoted to helping children find enjoyment in music, appearing on many children’s television shows including Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, Sesame Street, and Barney. And in 2004, Jenkins received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She remains an inspiration and mentor for many children’s music educators across the globe.

Ella Jenkins’ Humble Beginnings for a Children’s Music Icon

Jenkins’ was born in St. Louis on August 6, 1924, but grew up mainly on Chicago’s South Side. As a child, she loved games, especially those involving music, rhythm, and movement. Jenkins was introduced to the music of renowned blues musicians such as Memphis Slim, T-Bone Walker, and Big Bill Bronzy, by her uncle Floyd Johnson, a harmonica player. As her love and interest in music grew and her family moved to different neighborhoods around the south side, she explored various styles of music, rhythm, and children’s games in the streets as well as local black churches. During this time, Jenkins also enjoyed dance and performing, which allowed her to attend concerts at the local theatre. She often contributes her “sing and response” style of music by hearing Cab Calloway perform there. Graduating High School in 1942, Jenkins went on to earn an associate’s degree from Woodrow Wilson Junior College while working at a Wrigley’s gum factory. It was at Woodrow Wilson that she became interested in music from other cultures through her Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican friends. After graduation, Jenkins moved to California in 1948 in order to increase her opportunities and expand her musical repertoire.

From Music Acolyte to Accomplished Composer

While attending San Francisco State College, Jenkins continued her pursuit into the music of other cultures, learning Jewish songs from her roommates. After graduating with a B.A. in Psychology with minors in Child Psychology and Recreation in 1951, she moved back to her beloved Chicago. Despite having no formal music education, in addition to singing Jenkins learned over the years to play a multitude of musical instruments including the ukulele, pipe organ, harmonica, piano, and a variety of percussion instruments.  Jenkins began writing songs while volunteering at recreations centers, and was soon hired as a Teenage Program Director. While performing with young people on the street one day, she was asked to perform on a local public television show, The Totem Club. Jenkins continued to play various shows and events, and in 1956 decided to become a full-time freelance musician. Moses Arch, the founder of Folkways Recordings heard Jenkins and offered to record her songs. Her first album, Call and Response was published as 10-invh vinyl in 1957. She recalls, however, that times were not always easy in those days, as she slept in different places each night, often facing racial discrimination.

Composing and Performing her way to Beloved Children’s Music Icon

In the 1960s, Jenkins met Bernadelle Richter, who hired her to perform at an American Youth Folk Festival. They soon developed a relationship and within a few years were business partners, with Jenkins composing and performing while Richter handled the business. In 1966, Jenkins released the best-selling title in the history of Folkways (Smithsonian) Records, You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song. She has continued to compose and perform ever since, with her 32nd album Life of Song published in 2011. Other entities continue to publish her classics in different educational compilations, such as the Get Moving Ella Jenkins and recently released 123s and ABCs, which features her core principles of careful listening, singing, and improvisation.

Ella Jenkins is one of few artists to have recorded both for Smithsonian Folkways and for Moses Asch’s original Folkways label. She has enjoyed a long and prolific career distinguished by a genuine love and appreciation for the minds and hearts of children. Three generations of fans are still singing along with “Miss Ella,” while the next generation of children can learn the ground-breaking songs of Ella Jenkins on Smithsonian Folkways. The accolades Jenkins has received include, but are not limited to, a Pioneer in Early Television citation, the Parent’s Choice Award, a KOHL Education Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, Best Variety Performer Award from American Academy of Children’s Entertainment, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. She has also served as a U.S. delegate to numerous countries with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Generations of children have a deeper understanding of the world through Ella Jenkins participatory music.

Instilling a Love of Music in Children

When visiting the home or workspace of others, one may notice if they have music playing in the background. Others may be able to, and even prefer to, have music playing while reading or concentrating on a task, while some find it distracting. After so many years, experts are still trying to understand how our brains react to music. While there are always exceptions to the rule, most researchers conclude that listening to music has several beneficial effects on mind, body, and spirit:

The Benefits of Listening to Music

Developmental Benefits of Music to Children

While many of the benefits of enjoying and listening to music continue throughout our lifetimes, there are important developmental advantages that exposure to music at an early age offers to children from as early as the womb. Establishing a strong foundation and exposure to music in children at home and in the classroom helps to develop a lifelong love. We have explored many of these developmental benefits over the years.

For children, music:

Considering the many advantages that a lifelong love of music provides, the key question is – How do I instill a lifelong love of music is my child? For caregivers who already have a love of music and therefore expose children to it at home, church, and the classroom, this may seem like an afterthought. For parents and caregivers who may not know where to start, here are some things that can easily be done from before birth.

Simple Ways to Instill a Lifelong Love of Music in Children

  • Play music to a child in the wombA child can begin to detect and discern noises from outside the womb at around the 23rd week of pregnancy, and scientists recommend exposing a child to both speech and music.
  • Sing to the womb – As the child develops, it begins to recognize the parent’s voices, as well as that of other family members and caregivers. Singing songs to the child is a great way to create both a bond with family as well as with music. The newborn child will also recognize songs and lullabies that were repeatedly sung to the womb.
  • Listen to Music with your kids – Some of us will remember from childhood that music was almost always on around the house. Music doesn’t have to be loud to create a soothing background for family dinners and house chores. It’s also a chance for families to sing along, dance, and act all around silly. Also consider exposing children to different genres of music, so that they develop a musical “vocabulary” and gain an appreciation of many different cultures and styles.
  • Sing with your kids – Children’s music is more popular than ever, and many a parent will testify that some of it is quite catchy! Whether its children’s songs or mainstream, find what your kids enjoy singing, and sing along! Not only will it make them happy and strengthen your bond, but it will also help them learn to harmonize with others.
  • Take them to see live music – It’s one thing to hear music, sing at home, or see music on a screen, but quite another to show children real live professionals performing music in person. Not only is the sound of live music unbeatable, the other stimuli that a live concert or music festival provides fill the senses. While it’s important to consider the who, what, when, where, and how of taking a kid to a live performance, if done with good planning, the experience should be one they will remember their entire lives.
  • Enroll them in Early Childhood Music Classes – As we have stated above, there are many mental, social, and developmental benefits to music classes for children. From infancy to young adulthood, these programs help kids develop a different language and vocabulary, as well as a lifelong passion for music.

Music transcends age, culture, gender, race, and nationality. With a literal world of choices, listeners can choose music to which they can relate most, and with technology, listen to it just about anywhere on the planet. Music offers individuals a personalized outlet, and the freedom and choice that music offers can produce a love that lasts a lifetime.  

The Benefits of Teaching Children to Give

This holiday season offers many opportunities for teachers, parents, and caregivers to teach children about both giving and giving thanks. Our last topic covered the many benefits of instilling gratitude in children. While showing gratitude is important for healthy early development, some evidence shows children may actually benefit more from giving than receiving.

Some of the Health Benefits of Giving

Giving and showing generosity has many health benefits, including physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being. When instilled in children, giving provides benefits that will pay back for their entire lives. A few of the many benefits of giving include:

The Developmental Benefits of Teaching Children to Give

These results of giving help the young and old alike, but teaching children how to give provides some important developmental benefits as well:

Teaching Children the Joy of Giving

Most children are naturally inclined towards giving from a very early age. Research has shown that from the age of two, toddlers are actually happier giving than receiving. A study of children as young as 18 and 30 months old showed children voluntarily giving and helping in various altruistic ways, such as giving a blanket to a cold researcher. However, cultivating skills around kindness and giving should be nurtured by caregivers. Here are a few tips for reinforcing the natural inclination for children to give:

  1. Be a role model and explain why you are giving – Research shows that children are more likely to be kind if at least one parent models that behavior for them. In younger children, facial expressions of happiness and gratitude can show intent. As they grow older, it’s important for parents to have conversations with their kids about generosity.
  • Create opportunities and give together – Look for opportunities in everyday life to model giving and invite your child to participate in the process. Whether it’s a toy to a playmate or taking dinner to an elderly neighbor, the reactions of others will also demonstrate the value of being generous.
  • Help them understand and see the impact – While giving money or donating to a charity is helpful in teaching giving, letting children see the end results of generosity will make a longer lasting impression on them. Volunteering time often involves coming into contact with the recipients of giving, which can demonstrate the positive impact it makes.

Of the many studies and research that have been performed on the developmental benefits of giving, nearly all reiterate instilling generosity in children early and often. From an early age, children’s tendencies to do so should be identified and rewarded, and at a later age discussed and praised. In this season of giving, there are many opportunities to reinforce what already comes natural to most children.

The Science of Gratitude

Last Thanksgiving season, we considered different ways that teachers and children’s music studio owners can teach thankfulness in the classroom. Since then, more and more scientific studies have been conducted to explore exactly how gratitude works with the chemistry of mind and body. While harder to measure, the practice of gratitude and its spiritual benefits have been taught by major religions across the globe. The benefits of gratitude are numerous and affect emotional and social well-being, personality, career, and health.

Just a Few of the Many Benefits of Gratitude

Scientific studies have shown us that realizing, practicing, and demonstrating gratitude…

  • Makes us happier – Noticing what we already have makes us feel positive about our lives.
  • Increases our psychological well-being and self-esteem – It enhances our positive emotions and discourages suicidal tendencies in depressed and stressed individuals.
  • Makes us more likable and expands social connections – Gratitude improves our romantic relationships, improves our friendships, and increases our social support network.
  • Increases optimism and spiritualism – It makes us more giving, reduces our materialism, and enhances our optimism.
  • Enhances our careers and reduces work related stress – Gratitude makes us better managers by increasing patience and improving decision making while helping us to find meaning in our work, contributing to reduced turnover.
  • Improves our overall physical health – It reduces our blood pressure, improves our sleep habits, reduces depressive symptoms, and encourages exercise.

Scientific Evidence on the Benefits of Gratitude

So how do we know about these apparent positive benefits of practicing gratitude? More and more scientifically based studies are being conducted year after year, with encouraging findings. It is important to note because many of these studies are behavioral, they cannot absolutely prove cause and effect. However, most support a strong association between gratitude and an individual’s well-being. For example, a 2018 study on individuals seeking mental health guidance showed that those participants who wrote letters of gratitude reported feeling better and recovered sooner than those who did not. Hypothalamic regulation, which is triggered by gratitude and simple acts of kindness, has been shown to help with deeper and healthier sleep. Another study conducted by psychologists specializing on research into gratitude asked participants to write about events that affected them, positive or negative. The study found that those who wrote more often about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Finally, a 2019 study in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that there is a link between gratitude and happiness in children by the age of 5, while another found the same results in children ages 11 to 13.

The evidence for the positive benefits of practicing and demonstrating gratitude point to greater mental, physical, and spiritual well-being in both children and adults. In this season of giving thanks, showing children how to practice gratitude can help them become healthier and happier throughout their lives. Whether at the family dinner table, in social circles, or even the children’s music classroom, coaching gratitude is beneficial to both learner and teacher alike. 

A Brief History of Group Piano Teaching

Around this time last year, we presented a short history of the piano, tracing its most rudimentary origins as far back as the monochord in ancient Greece. Many piano historians, however, will point to Bartolemo Cristofri’s invention of the pianoforte as being the most prominent relative to the modern piano. But the evolution of the piano is only one part of why it remains an extremely popular instrument across the globe today. Throughout history piano teachers have spread the knowledge and love for the instrument, through one-on-one instruction as well as children’s music studio classes and programs.

Played Mostly by Women, yet Dictated by Men

In the early 1770s, keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord were played mostly by women and girls who were fortunate enough to come from wealthy families. As the pianoforte began to take over from the harpsichord, this population of talented women evolved along with the technical and commercial advances in the instrument. However, as was with most things in society at the time, men dominated the most lucrative aspects of music. Men were almost exclusively the only concert pianists, and as women were not allowed to attend university, men were considered the only suitable teachers and scholars for most subject matter of the time.  

The Earliest Piano Teaching Methods

In earliest days of piano instruction, the most prevalent method of teaching was the master/apprentice model. It is as such that Carl Czerny, a pupil of Beethoven, was the first to conceive and create an entire library of teaching pieces for piano based on numbering the fingers and creating exercises based on that numbering. In the mid to late 1800s, several other great piano teachers emerged, with somewhat different schools of thought to deal with the emerging trends in musical pieces but based on the “classic” or “old school” approach developed by Czerny. As the popularity of the piano grew and the need for more piano teachers rose, women began to teach piano. In fact, by 1861, it appears that sixty percent of all piano teachers in London were female.

The Emergence of Group Piano Teaching

 As the demand for piano instruction increased, teachers recognized the potential of teaching in groups. In the early 1800s, German Musician Johann Bernhardt Logier began instructing piano classes in groups. Often containing up to 30 students, these classes ranged from beginners to the more advanced. Educators from America and Europe attended Logier’s classes and then introduced group piano teaching to their own countries. Many famous nineteenth century pianists taught in a group class setting, including Liszt, Chopin, and Clara Schumann. It is believed that the first group piano classes in America can be traced to girls’ schools in the Southern United States. As the United States led the world in piano production in the early nineteen hundreds, elementary school group programs grew tremendously. Unfortunately, due to the depression, World War II, and the invention of the radio, school group piano programs suffered a serious decline.

The Electric Piano and the Internet

The introduction of the electric piano created a new opportunity for piano teachers and group classes. Because of their relatively small size and weight, teaching group piano became much more cost efficient. As with most industries, the Internet has had a substantial impact in how music instruction is distributed and marketed. While there are thousands of options to learn piano online, most professional musicians will point to the importance of in-person instruction for pianists (and other instruments) at all levels. As children’s group piano classes continue to be offered in person, the importance of that teacher pupil relationship is reminiscent of the very first piano teaching model of master and apprentice. 

How Music Instruction Reduces Screen Time for Kids

Parents and teachers alike understand the challenges that screen time poses to children as well as adults. Prior to the Covid pandemic, kids ages 8-18 were spending up to 7.5 hours on average in front of a screen for entertainment. More than half of that time was spent watching television. COVID-19 and the lock-down made matters even worse. Despite the need to attend online classes for school, overall digital device usage increased by 5 hours, with adolescents averaging even higher at 8 hours a day.

As our children’s screen time has increased substantially over the past decade, the ill effects of it on the physical and mental well-being is being studied more and more. Pediatric health professionals and children’s educators alike highly recommend other means of entertainment for children to offset this epidemic. Children’s music education is one such means of entertainment that helps reduce screen time.

The Health Effects of Screen Time in Children

Children’s health professionals point to many issues that may arise in children that are exposed to an excessive amount of screen entertainment:

  • Impaired emotional and social intelligence.
  • Sleep deprivation and disturbed sleep cycles.
  • Mood problems such as irritability, depression, anxiety, and ADHD.
  • Poor self-image, weight problems, and body image issues.
  • Vision issues such as eye strain and myopia.
  • Neck pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.
  • Social isolation and fear of missing out (FOMO).
  • Phantom Vibration Syndrome, where a person imagines their phone is ringing or vibrating when it’s actually not.
  • Obsessive, excessive, compulsive, and impulsive use of digital devices.

Children’s Music Education to Reduce Screen Time

Pediatric health care professionals recommend exposing children to other activities to reduce their screen time as well as increase their interests in other entertainment. Teachers of children’s music education have long known the positive impacts that music classes have on a child’s well-being during their developmental years and beyond:

It is clear that as technology increases at a greater and greater rate, it will compete for the attention of humans in developed societies. Children are even more susceptible to the negative impacts of excessive screen time in their developmental years. Supplemental music lessons offer an alternative to screen time while providing all of the benefits that music instruction offers to kids – including self-imposed limitation of screen time; increased problem-solving skills, time management and prioritization; increased self-awareness and social skills, and more.