Article: "Music's Role In Raising Responsible Kids"
Every parent hopes that their children will grow to be healthy, responsible and well-adjusted adults. It’s what drives many of our decisions and forms the basis for a lot of the things we choose to do with our children. There is a growing body of research that supports the idea that, given the right environment, children can be loved into becoming independent and responsible people. Children who are allowed to figure things out for themselves and to explore the world in a way that suits their learning styles will be more likely to reach a state of independence sooner. Hopefully, this independence is supported by a strong sense of responsibility. Group learning, such as that which occurs during a Music Together® class, is a valuable tool in allowing children to discover this sense of responsibility. Older children thrive on leading younger children and if they’ve been involved in a class for long enough to know the routines, they are proud to demonstrate to younger children what is expected of them. Younger children enjoy looking up to their older peers and imitating them. This imitation also feeds the responsibility and leadership the older children are developing as it shows them how powerful their example is and just what impact they can have on younger children. A mixed-age class allows for the natural community building that supports this growth in children and is one of the things that makes a Music Together class different from other children’s music programs.
Being able to figure things out for oneself without immediate guidance or direction from someone is another key in the development of independence and responsibility. This doesn’t mean we should leave our children unsupervised and let them struggle all alone. What this means is we should provide them with age-appropriate, developmentally rich activities and toys that pique their curiosity and cause them to try to see how things work. If we show them every step of the way, they may lose interest, or worse, not learn what we’re trying to show them. When a child is allowed to figure things out for himself, he learns and remembers a skill. A Music Together class is a great environment for this “guided independent” play. The teacher leads activities that the children are free to follow or not, depending on their learning style. When instruments are used, children are free to explore the instruments and use them in a way that is satisfying and sometimes really unique. There is no judgment from either teacher or parents that the child is playing an instrument “incorrectly”, so the child continues to explore and experiment and usually finds a unique way to show that he hears, and can play, the beat of the song. This permission to freely explore reduces the “performance” atmosphere and allows children to more readily focus on learning music. It also allows them to share their musicality with other children, thus reinforcing their role as a model to other children and thereby increasing their sense of responsibility to their community.
By noticing your child’s learning style and allowing them to explore their world in a way that supports it, you can encourage the development of your child’s independence and sense of responsibility. By engaging your child in playful, developmentally-appropriate programs and activities, you can be sure that you are helping to mold him or her into the healthy, responsible and well-adjusted adult you hope he or she will become.
Clare is a registered Music Together teacher and director of Mills and Maples Music Together.
Originally published in the Lanark, Leeds, Grenville Parent-Child Guidebook, Summer 2007. Reprinted with permission.