Music can change brain activity in a remarkable way. This is one of the recent discoveries of science, made possible by the use of tools (such as MRI and electroencephalogram) that allow the electrical activity of neurons to be examined.
Scientific studies show that children absorb the acoustic structure of their mother tongue, the rhythm and phonemes (the sounds of a language) in the same way as they listen to music.
In other words, for the child, language is a concert of sounds and syllables marked by melody and rhythm. The newborn perceives language as a particular kind of music.
When we say “my little darling”, the child hears “my little darling” as a melody. This melody consists of sounds (the phonemes: “m” and “i” for example), rhythm and intonation.
We learn a language through its musicality. In fact, music and language have a similar structure
Listening to music therefore plays an essential role in language acquisition.
From the age of one, the child specialises in the language(s) in which it has been immersed. Their auditory system is shaped by the sound and language environment around them. The ear and the brain specialise in what they hear in particular between 0 and 1 year.
Professor and researcher Stanislas Dehaene states: “When he (the baby) blows out his first candle, he has already laid the foundations of the main rules of his mother tongue, at all levels, from elementary sounds (phonemes) to melody (prosody), vocabulary (the mental lexicon) and grammar rules (syntax).
Interaction with children is crucial to their emotional security: talking to your child as often as possible is a part of it. Sing songs in your mother tongue. Make the most of this first year when the child is learning the basics of language.
Every language has a language frequency band. Music, on the other hand, uses our entire frequency sensitivity up to 20,000 hertz and much more. It therefore makes greater demands on our auditory capacity than language.
This is why it is important to let your child hear foreign languages and music from other countries during the early years.
Each child is born with a universal hearing ability, before his or her ear specialises on the mother tongue. Since the ear adapts and picks up frequencies in its environment, the environment must be rich in sound and music. By allowing your child to be immersed in this varied sound environment, you will facilitate his or her learning, particularly the assimilation of foreign languages.
Music has a special place for “5 senses for kids Foundation”. It allows us to work on each sensory channel. Here are the contributions of music to the 5 senses.
Music allows for work on :
Music allows for work around :
When music is associated with the discovery of scents and flavours from different countries, it creates a particular atmosphere for tasting, which conditions the child to “feel” in another culture. They will then associate sounds, tastes and smells with that particular culture.
Music plays an important role in learning motor skills.
The following skills can be developed:
Learning rhythm will play a role in socialisation and openness to others. “Music engenders synchronisation behaviour,” explains teacher-researcher Emmanuel Bigand. Rhythm prepares children for social relations, trust in others and empathy.
Music engages the whole brain. This is why it can claim to be the most complete art form.
“Music stabilises mental, physical and emotional rhythms, allowing a state of focus and deep concentration to be achieved, in which large amounts of information can be processed and learned,” says Chris Boyd Brewer, an expert on music and learning.
Numerous studies by neuroscientists have shown that listening to and playing music creates millions of connections in the brain.
“5 senses for kids Foundation” encourages you to play music with your children. And if you have the opportunity, organise activities with musical instruments. Let them touch instruments and play music with them. Play music from all over the world, especially in the first year of life.
Not only will you encourage the child’s senses, but you will also facilitate language learning, socialisation, cognitive development, etc.
