Giving children and young people the opportunities to engage with music for its own sake is vital. Simply put, music is a basic need. Humans have been interacting through music for thousands of years, whether just for the pleasure that it brings, or to communicate – ideas or emotions, or even signals of intent or warnings.
Why Music?
We are all born with musical skills. When we arrive in this world we already have an ability to perceive pitch and to discern timbre and use these to recognise the voices of our mothers and fathers, almost as an innate survival mechanism. But, a bit like the ability to swim (which we are also born with) we “unlearn” these innate skills if they are not nurtured.
In the last few decades there have been many research studies undertaken on the impact that music has on children and young people’s development. Almost all have concluded that the effects are positive, in some cases extremely so.
One of the most influential pieces of research is by Professor Susan Hallam titled “The power of music: its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people” which was published in the International Journal of Music Education in 2010. In it she argues that music can bring positive effects and influences on children’s language and literacy, numeracy, intellectual development, personal and social development, health and well-being. In its capacity to tap into numerous brain areas, music making bestows a unique host of benefits on children and young people’s imaginative thinking and emotional processing.
Trust Music is passionate in its belief in the power of music to enrich the lives of children and young people, and for the positive impacts it brings. Whether as a beloved hobby or potential career-path, playing an instrument or singing can form a major part of a young person’s development and education. We want to support children and young people, however long their music journeys may be.
