Do you remember how you first learned the alphabet? I am quite sure that the majority of us learnt it by singing the ABC Song: 'ABCDEFG-HIJKLMNOP-QRS-TUV-WXY-and-Z...'
There is no doubt that music and songs are one of the best means to teach children new information and knowledge. And over the last 25 years, many researches and studies have been done to find out how music influences our brain and how we can use music to help us learn faster and more effectively. And it has been found that our brain is most open and receptive to incoming information when it is in a special state of relaxation.
That type of relaxation is not to get you into sleep. It's a state of relaxed alertness - what we sometimes call relaxed awareness. For those who learn relaxation techniques such as Yoga, you know it is the state when our brain is at Alpha.
The study of super-memory and the brain started back in the 1950's by a Bulgarian psychiatrist and educator, George Lozanov. After years of research, he concluded that we all have an 'optimum learning state'. This occurs, he said "when heart-beat, breath-rate and brain-waves are smoothly synchronized and the body is relaxed but the mind concentrated and ready to receive new information."
Lozanov put his research into practice and achieved some amazing results, particularly in foreign-language learning. It was reported that Lozanov had helped Bulgarian students learn 1,200 words in a day, using his method.
Today we know that it is fairly easy for people to achieve that ideal learning state. Deep breathing is one of the first keys. Music is the second.
Music played at different beats and tempos influences our moods differently, and in turn it affects how our mind functions (which determines our actions).
Have you ever noticed how departmental stores use music to sway the mood of their customers within their premise and to regulate the flow of human traffic? During off-peak period, they will play soothing music to help shoppers relax so that they will stay longer in the stores and as a result buy more things. During peak hours when the stores are crowded and they need to get the human traffic to move faster so that more people can come in to the stores, they will play fast and loud music.
Likewise, we can use music to our advantage by helping our children in their learning and enhancing their concentration.
If you would like to put your child in the best state of mind when doing something or learning new skills and knowledge, you can try playing soothing music with a 50 to 70 beats per minute pattern.
The most common music to achieve that state comes from the baroque school of composers, in the 17th and early 18th centuries: the Italian Arcangelo Corelli, the Venician Antonio Vivaldi, the French Francois Coupertin and the Germans, Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederic Handel.
Some of our favourite music pieces that my wife and I play at home for our children, Ethel and Ethan, when they are at play and learn:
- Vivaldi's Four Seasons - one of the best-known pieces of baroque music that helps you to shut out other thoughts and visualise the seasons of the year
- Handel's Water Music - a deeply soothing piece
- Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D - our favourite to relieve tension
If you have yet to introduce music when educating your child, start using it today; it will put your child in a relaxed, receptive state, helping her focus and learn more effectively.
Article by Alvin Poh, founder of Learning Champ, a parenting wesbite that provides information and resources to parents, who want to help their children develop the important skills and mind set for a brighter future -> http://www.alvinkh.per.sg/learningchamp
cleaning help near Mundelein ..As our children grow, they will be going to schools... Read More
I have been a single mom for almost 20 years.... Read More
Most people have more training before they receive their driver's... Read More
It was a day that I will forever be etched... Read More
As a parent there are lots of things that you... Read More
Dear Sir, It was with some interest that I read... Read More
Self-reliance and potential are two very important values that I'd... Read More
Congratulations on your new baby! You have just brought your... Read More
Is your babysitter watching the kids and your k9 family... Read More
Nail biting in all its various forms is problematic... Read More
When my oldest daughter was born, I walked the floor... Read More
Do you ever wonder what is behind the occasional nasty... Read More
I am crying tears of joy mixed with great sadness... Read More
We all wish that our children should not smoke or... Read More
Having a high level of emotional intelligence in your children... Read More
Because most teens have not had the experience of getting... Read More
Search for Assurance: The Power of BelongingThe job hunt is... Read More
Strattera came out around January of 2003, and is becoming... Read More
Diagnosing children and teens with ADHD can be a challenge.... Read More
"Get down from the table top right now! What are... Read More
Just two days ago, another 15-year old child was added... Read More
Vinegar or honey, what do kids really want? "Toys, candy,... Read More
The advances in science over the past century have been... Read More
Most parents can hardly wait for their baby to say... Read More
Looking for an unusual and memorable gift? Why not preserve... Read More
reliable maid service Wilmette ..Child support is defined as that part of your income... Read More
When was the last time you and your kids rolled... Read More
The cost of being a parent and raising a child... Read More
Speaking as a Michael (a Hebrew name, meaning "Who is... Read More
There is nothing pleasant about failure, at least not at... Read More
Do you have a wild child? Then this article may... Read More
Are you considering a car wash fundraiser for your group?... Read More
Do you struggle to get your child to bed at... Read More
We begin forming healthy habits at a young age. With... Read More
Child care costs are are one of the most expensive... Read More
Q. My daughter is a junior in high school and... Read More
When my son was 18 (and had finished school), he... Read More
Although many children are picky eaters at some stage in... Read More
Here in Kansas, where we live, the leaves are turning... Read More
Look around: Your kids are counting sleeps until the last... Read More
Research literature, recent books, and common sense, all point to... Read More
As I sit here and reflect on the past two... Read More
Q. With another school year starting, we are not sure... Read More
Parents are losing their self-control to anger. A friend called... Read More
Since so many would rather avoid the use of stimulant... Read More
What's hard for teenagersHaving people who don't understand you trying... Read More
John Bishop's Goal Setting for Students.comLegacy to Your ChildrenIt's 6:30... Read More
One of the basic issues we need to understand is... Read More
The question I have for you drives right to the... Read More
Dear Vijay,I worry about not being a good parent. My... Read More
Parenting |