As parents and/or educators you will no doubt be aware that music and rhythm significantly support young children’s development but apart from the surface-level knowledge of the overall benefits in areas such as mood and literacy, what are the underlying scientific principles that make these skills so important to the developing child? Boogie Mites takes us through the processes and practices that make a musical approach to learning so valuable.
Sound processing and rhythmic awareness, which are often overlooked aspects of human cognition, play a crucial role in shaping our abilities and influencing various aspects of our lives. Two decades of neuroscience research studies at Brainvolts Auditory Laboratory, North Western University Illinois, show us that the neural networks linking sound processing and rhythmic skills are key to language and literacy learning.
Sound Processing
According to Nina Kraus, Director at Brainvolts, “Processing of sound drives many of the brain’s core functions and leaves a fundamental imprint on who we are as human beings”.
Sound processing, being our first sense, is intertwined with the vestibular system within the inner ear, connecting it to the entire body. Changes in sound processing can significantly impact global development, making it a superpower indeed!
Image: Fit2learn Sound Therapy Programme. https://fit-2-learn.com
Rhythmic Skills
A link between language skills and beat synchronisation is found in children and adults. Beat synchronisation predicts neural speech encoding and reading readiness in preschoolers.
Kali Woodruff Carr at the Brain Plasticity Institute in San Francisco
Prof. Usha Goswami from the University of Cambridge highlights the challenges children with dyslexia face in perceiving speech and musical rhythm. Musical training, with its emphasis on rhythmic skills, exercises the motor/auditory system, facilitating stronger sound-to-meaning associations essential for reading, and less neural jitter.
Combined Superpower
The potency of sound processing and rhythmic skills combined as a superpower is evident in the impact on the efficient processing of information by the visual, auditory and motor cortices of the brain.
Delving into neuroscience evidence, it becomes evident that rich and varied music and movement practice creates neural networks connecting the auditory, visual, and motor cortices. Neuromusical Researcher, Dr. Anita Collins, calls this ‘The Magic Triangle’ and describes this network as crucial for language, learning, and cross-curricular benefits.
Studies with 3 to 4 year olds emphasize the significance of the ‘Magic Triangle’ neural pathways in processing language components, and that early exposure to regular music and movement strengthens these pathways via the sound processing/rhythmic skills link. The ‘Magic Triangle’ plays a pivotal role in the efficient firing of messages across the brain for language processing. Daily music practise proves to be a most effective tool in optimising auditory/motor/visual networks, by the age of 7.
Harnessing the Power of Music
To harness the benefits we need to include lots of rhythmic and melodic activities, keeping the beat, playing with the ingredients of music and sound: pitch, tempo, timbre, timing, keeping the beat and playing with different rhythms…. best achieved through the use of recorded music written for this age group and purpose. Daily music activities should include marching, clapping, shaking to the beat, tapping words and musical rhythms, drumming and dancing to music.
Boogie Mites’ original songs and music programmes for both mainstream and special education settings are informed by the evidence and 20 years of feedback from teachers, parents and children. Boogie Mites Sticks and Sounds SEN Music programme is ideal for SEN groups, with some songs slowed down and lyrics that have been simplified.
Testimonials from SEN teachers attest to the effectiveness of Boogie Mites in promoting speech, language, communication development, and concentration skills in children. The inclusive nature of these programs ensures that children, regardless of their developmental stage, age, or diagnosis, can benefit from the enriching and uplifting experiences offered by music and movement activities.
Boogie Mites – Can You Feel The Beat?
In conclusion, sound processing and rhythmic awareness stand as a powerful combination, shaping our cognitive abilities and influencing diverse aspects of our lives. By harnessing the power of music and movement activities to strengthen these skills, we can support children to reach their potential, whether they are developing typically or not.
Despite the evident benefits, there is a notable gap in early years/SEN education courses, degrees, and professional training qualifications regarding music and movement training. Boogie Mites is committed to filling this void, drawing on their 20 years of experience to provide educators and parents with the necessary training, knowledge, confidence, and resources to engage in effective, active, daily music. We all have an innate musicality and can develop it together with the children, for our benefit as well as theirs.
You can find out more about Boogie Mites Music Programmes, training and resources on our website:
Or email: sue@boogiemites.co.uk
Happy Boogie-ing!
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