There are many advantages of private schools over public schools for younger children. Private schools have a reduced number of students (up to 87% have fewer than 300 students enrolled). This makes the classes smaller, which enables the teachers to have a stronger relationship with your child. It also enables the private schools to involve younger students in activities that those in public schools may not be able to experience due to time or funding.
One of these benefits of private schools includes music classes. Music classes are extremely beneficial to young children. By learning to play a musical instrument at such as young age, a child’s brain is able to develop further than it would otherwise.
How music helps children’s brain development
When a child learns to play an instrument, their brain is able to develop neurophysiological distinctions between certain sounds similar to the way an artist is able to differentiate between extremely similar colors. By developing this type of distinction between sounds in early years, the child is able to better understand literacy and can help aid them in academic arenas later in life.
However, the reason why a music class in a private school curriculum is more beneficial to your child than simply letting them listen to Mozart is that the child must be actively engaged in the creation of the music. By actively participating in the music, the child is able to physically engage with the differences in the sounds they make. Hearing the differences in the sounds isn’t enough.
This is because, when a child is engaging with the music, they understand the consequences of the sound they’re making. They’re active in manipulating the sounds of the music, which helps the brain process that different movements and different amounts of breath create differences in pitch and tone.
The concept is similar to receptive bilingualism. When a person continuously hears another language, they may be able to develop the ability to understand what is being said to them. However, without actively engaging in the language themselves the person is unable to speak the same language they understand.
By actively involving your child in a music class at a young age, they can develop the neural processes of the brain to help them in academics later in life. However, it must be noted that for your child to benefit from music classes they must be interested in taking the class themselves. An uninterested child is unlikely to engage in making music.