Lighting your child creativ By Stacey Lee


While parents may suspect that their children’s development could benefi t from immersion in music or the arts, local teachers are more certain.


Patricia Swan, Music Specialist for St. Michaels and St. Louis schools believes that music education has been proven to aid both the physical and mental development of young children.


“Music is the only activity that utilizes 100 per cent of the brain. If you develop musical ability at an early age you develop a special awareness as well. The brain is open already to understanding beat, rhythm, intonation and pitch. Therefore you are able to cross over very easily… into athletics for example. You need to have to have awareness to be able to pass the ball and understand how far to pass the ball.” She added that young children exposed to music, in her experience, are more likely to become higher academic achievers in later years.


She suggested the vocabulary introduced to young learners also helps develop strong language skills, while understanding beat and rhythm will help them gain an understanding of basic mathematics.


“They are using larger words, and memorizing words, when they are singing with me. At the same time they are also learning math… with whatever time signature you have. Music is all about the division of the beat… you are feeling halves, quarters and sixteenths. Understanding music immediately opens their brain to success in math classes later on.”


“Like” us on


Lighting your child’s creative spark produces intellectual results spark produces intellectual results


Helen Snortland, choral director at St. Mary’s School, also believes that introduction of music at an early age is benefi cial to any child. But, doubling as a language arts teacher at Ecole St. Thomas d’Aquin, she clearly understands those benefi ts.


“In working with rhythms and sound, and putting sound and language together in music, you’re defi nitely promoting fl uency in language itself… I believe. Children that have as much training as possible in that fi eld, whether it be with an instrument or drawing… or singing have an added advantage in their other learning.”


Snortland says in her language arts classes she creates opportunities for children to write, and then present those materials. She also says early understanding of music is evident in the musical choices she sees youth making for themselves.


“Music works from the heart so it becomes linked with emotional skills… music is a way of expressing things that sometimes children can’t put into words easily. Their music helps them make choices about what is important to them.”


At St. Michael’s School, where the school’s rhythm is set by teachers devoted to integrating the fi ne arts into the school's curriculum, principal Ron Blackmer directly associates the fi ne arts to academic success.


“Many parents comment that it has helped their children in areas of creativity, areas of expressing themselves, and having higher self-esteem and confi dence as well. There are defi nite transfers (between the arts and) math and sciences. You might think they are totally separate… but


GIRLS AGES 3+ Come Try Ringette


GIRLS AGES 3+


Sunday, April 1, 2012


2012


1:15 - 2:30 at the Family Leisure Center


1


Family Leisure Center


Sign up for this FREE event at www.cometryringette.ca


www.cometryringette.ca


Help us reach 250 likes for your chance to win a gift certifi cate from:


4


41073673•02/28/12


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20