Anyone who has seen The Sound of Music is familiar with the “Do Re Mi” song that Maria teaches the Von Trapp children to sing. But in addition to providing a wonderful musical vehicle for the movie, the song also gets at the root of the mind-music connection, which holds that music helps us to remember things better. The mind-music connection is so strong, in fact, that many adults cannot alphabetize beyond the first few letters of the alphabet without singing a portion of the “A-B-C” song. That is why if you are looking for a preschool in Fairfax, VA, you will want to look for one that seamlessly incorporates music into the program as a simple matter of course.
You can ask almost any adult to remember a song that was learned in childhood and most can immediately recall not only the song, but almost all, if not all of the worlds. A whole generation of kids who are now adults grew up watching the School House Rock vignettes interspersed between their Saturday morning cartoons and most of those adults can still readily sing along about conjunctions, interjections, and how a bill becomes a law. Again, the reason is the mind-music connection which is why it is important to ensure that your child’s preschool program utilizes music in your child’s everyday activities.
In addition to the mind-music connection, experts have determined that songs tap into a portion of our brains that is sensitive to both the beat and the melody in such a way that hearing music actually exercises our brains in a very specific way and trains the brain in ways that have nothing to do with music but that enhances other cognitive abilities. When your child’s preschool in Fairfax, VA, employs music it is doing much more than giving your child a fun melody to listen to, it will actually be growing your child’s brain and helping to develop your child’s brain for more critical thinking down the line.
Of course, in addition to the education benefits of music, there is also the fact that your preschool should expose your child to various kinds of music simply because it is enjoyable. Listening to pleasurable music has been shown to cause the ventral striatum in the brain to release dopamine – meaning that music really does calm and relax us.
There are many factors to take into consideration when searching for a preschool in Fairfax, VA in which to enroll your child. However, once you have established that the preschool will provide a safe and nurturing environment for your preschooler, you may also want to inquire about their music program and the extent to which your child will be exposed to the many benefits of music.
At Sparkles! Preschool in Fairfax, VA, we provide an environment that will both nurture children and will challenge them to grow and develop. We have a curriculum that is age-appropriate and that meets the educational needs of children. Sparkles! has a caring staff and modern facilities that have the best interests of our children in mind. In Fairfax, VA, contact us at 703.502.8100 or visit us on the web at www.sparkleschildcare.com.
