Home » ExchangeEveryDay » Music Spurs Learning



ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues


<< Previous Issue | View Past Issues | | Next Issue >> ExchangeEveryDay
Music Spurs Learning
June 26, 2014
Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.
-Voltaire

"Music helps kids read" and "Pick up an instrument to strengthen reading and listening skills" were two headlines in Scientific American Mind (May 2014; Mind.ScientificAmerican.com).  Here are the stories:

"Today a symphony of research trumpets the many links among language, reading, and music.  Nina Kraus of Northwestern University has discovered a possible explanation:  the brains of good beat keepers respond to speech more consistently than the brains of people whose toes do not tap in time....

"Because reading ability, in general, relies on making a connection between the sounds of letters and symbols on a page, music provides another avenue into learning.  'Through music, you learn to pay attention to important sounds,' Kraus says.  The inconsistent sound processing shown by the poor beat keepers makes that difficult."

"...Kraus surveyed 44 adults aged 55 to 76 and found that four or more years of musical training in childhood was linked to faster neural responses to speech, even for the older adults who had not picked up an instrument for more than 40 years."







The Goodness of Rain
Developing an Ecological Identity in Young Children

Order today and receive free shipping off this title.

"Reading The Goodness of Rain made my heart soar. With her beautiful descriptions of guiding young Dylan into seeing the details of the natural world around her, Ann Pelo offers us a clear picture of how we can offer children a strong sense of place in their upbringing." – Margie Carter

Join author Ann Pelo on her year-long journey as she nurtures the ecological identity of a toddler and discovers for herself what it means to live in relationship with the natural world.

Enter code "Goodness" when prompted.

Offer valid through June 1, 2019 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.
May not be combined with any other offer. 

ExchangeEveryDay

Delivered five days a week containing news, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.

What is ExchangeEveryDay?

ExchangeEveryDay is the official electronic newsletter for Exchange Press. It is delivered five days a week containing news stories, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.

Precious Status
Grow your Center by 33 Percent!
EZ-CARE Solutions Our software will save you time & money, and make managing your childcare center easier.


Comments (1)

Displaying 1 Comment
Francis · June 26, 2014
Denver, CO, United States


I certainly believe music is important for reading and other academic skills, but I get very tired with the idea that music, art, nature, play, and other critically important activities are not valid in and of themselves! My life has been made so much richer and more interesting because my early education exposed me to good music, art, and dance.



Post a Comment

Have an account? to submit your comment.


required

Your e-mail address will not be visible to other website visitors.
required
required
required

Check the box below, to help verify that you are not a bot. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this form.



Disclaimer: Exchange reserves the right to remove any comments at its discretion or reprint posted comments in other Exchange materials.