Every parent wants their child to become the best they can be. Jennifer Vidal, a mother of three from Mississauga, Ont., reflects on how groundbreaking neuroscience research she learned at the Brain Power conference can help her children achieve their full potential.
Schools like TMS, a private Montessori school in Richmond Hill, Ont., help students as young as 18 months develop fully in academics, arts, athletics and citizenship. PHOTO COURTESY OF TMS
I am a stay-at-home mother of two girls, aged two and nine, and a baby boy, aged 12 months. For the past few years, my oldest daughter, who was born in the United States, has kept on telling me that she wants to be the first Latina president of the United States of America. In addition, my two-year-old toddler since her birth has been mesmerizing me with her abilities; for instance, I still remember when she, at 10 months old, pushed a dining chair close to the basement door, climbed the chair and opened the door. Thus, it made me realize firsthand that kids are full of potential and that it is my job, as a parent, to do whatever I can to help them develop that potential. For that reason, I attended the Brain Power conference, which brought together neuroscientists, parents, educators, researchers, media and staff in the child development industry to spread awareness or discover about ways neuroscience can enhance teaching and learning.
Eye-Opening Research on Musical Experience
At the conference, after hearing Dr. Sylvain Moreno explain how much the brain benefits from musical activities, I decided to attend the two workshops whose titles indicated more insight on the topic—“Creating Creative Thinkers Through Music” and “Frontiers of Research: Effects of Musical Experience in Infancy.” I saw these workshops as an opportunity to learn what I can do to enhance my kids’ ability to learn faster and better through music.
At the “Frontiers of Research: Effects of Musical Experience in Infancy” workshop, Andrea Unrau, research assistant at the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, spoke about the benefits for babies to engage with their parents in musical activities such as dancing, singing, and playing songs and lullabies. There is now scientific evidence that spending time with your baby doing these kinds of activities helps him or her in areas such as communication and social interaction, which in my opinion, helps the parent-baby bond grow stronger as well. One of the benefits that I know will make us parents smile more too is that babies who have been part of interactive musical activities smile more and are easier to soothe, according to Unrau.
The Importance of Timely Education
At the “Creating Creative Thinkers Through Music” workshop, I learned that the optimum age for a child to start learning the language of music is between the ages of three and six, though anyone can learn music at any age after that, according to Stephen Couldridge, national manager of the music education department at Yamaha Canada Music Ltd. in Toronto. I also learned about the importance of timely education, which is a concept in which the student is guided according to his or her physical and mental development. For instance, since the sense of hearing develops most rapidly between the ages of four and six, instructions at Couldridge’s schools are focused more on training the ear rather than on developing keyboard-playing skills, though these skills are also taught. The focus on keyboard-playing skills increases as children progress through the course, according to Couldridge.
For example, before the workshop had started, one of the two young performers (with his back turned towards the piano) was asked by his teacher which notes he (the teacher) was playing. Another example is when the other performer was asked to compose a music piece out of five random notes that a member of the audience had played for her. Using only their sense of hearing developed through the curriculum, both performers were able to identify which notes were being played. The spontaneous composition was delightful!
Interactive music activities are indeed beneficial for kids, according to researchers at the conference. The earlier a child is exposed to age-appropriate musical activities in the form of games, lessons, etc., the better. The positive impact interactive musical activities will have on a child’s brain will be reflected on the enhanced ways he or she communicates and performs both socially and academically. There is no doubt in my mind now that every time I sing and play songs with my baby, I’m helping him in his development (these kinds of activities are now part of our routine). Enrolling my nine-year-old daughter in piano lessons is one of the best decisions I have ever made, though I just wish I had done it much earlier, not just last April.
Giving My Kids the Opportunity to Be the Best They Can Be
When my oldest daughter first said that she wanted to be the first Latina president of the United States, I never thought that four years later she would still be saying the same thing. Having learned at the Brain Power conference that the brain is most plastic (able to shape and reshape itself) in early childhood has made me rethink what I’m doing to help my kids reach their full potential, goals and dreams. Because regardless of what they grow up to be, I want my kids to be the best they can be. My oldest daughter has always gone to public school, and the experience has been okay. However, for all the reasons already mentioned, I want to explore other alternatives, such as private education, which has attracted my attention especially because I know that many private schools accept kids as young as two-and-a-half years old, therefore taking advantage at an earlier age of this crucial stage in a child’s life.
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Has neuroscience opened your mind to the possibilities of improving children’s ability to learn and develop their potential? What are ways to enhance the development of children? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
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Five Ways Neuroscience Will Change Education
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About Jennifer Vidal
Dear Jenniffer I know you’re a young mom with 3 kids. Not many mothers are involved in such as interesting articles to help kids develop their potential according with their age. You are the best mom, congratulations; you are going to receive fruits of this time you are investing in your beloved ones. Now days you can see mothers thinking in divorce as an alternative to solve their differences with husbands. If only they had your thinking realizing that the most important treasure we have is our kids, they could even forgive and make peace on behalf of developing happy kids. They are what we ‘all make of them. Our dedication, observation, and all the quality time we can expend with our kids worths. They come to this world ready to fulfill their capacities and they only have us as parents to closely observe their potential skills. We are the most responsible for their right development entirely helping them to reach their maximum capacity /potential. I would love to participate in this open conferences if you may share with me. Thanks for your interest in transforming the world through what you do with your own kids. You Rock!
Hi Cristina, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! Couldn't agree more with you
We'd love to attend more conferences like the Brain Power Initiative in the future as well, so we'd love to see you there! Feel free to keep in touch! -EM
I am not familiar with the immense options offered by the neuroscience and its approaches to the early development and shaping of the kid's potential and abilities, but now reading the really amazing and truly inspirational story of Jennifer, it makes me really to examine it thoroughly. The simple, but yeat so powerful message she has sent to all of us, who are parents, or are going to be- let help our kids be the best they can be is something that I will never forget! Thanks for the amazing post!
Hi Michelle, thanks for your wonderful comment! I can only imagine how Jennifer must feel to see how she is inspiring other parents as she continues to inspire us to help our kids reach their full potential as well
^em
Great post! Lots of good info here. I wish I could have attended the conference. Music has always been huge part of my life and my children's lives. Since before they were born I have sung to them and played music for them. My daughter learned to talk at an early age and I think it was because of the music she was always listening to. The patterns in the music helped with her speech development. The same thing has happened with my son. And he spends so much time intently listening to any new song he hears until he gets the words and can sing it on his own. It's fascinating to watch.
Music is a fantastic tool for helping kids with their development. And not just in the area of speech, but also with math and patterns. My daughter started JK last year and her teacher told me at the first parent-teacher interview that her abilities with the pattern exercises they were doing far surpassed the expectations for a 4 year old. She asked if my daughter had musical training because usually children who are trained in music have a superior grasp of patterns. I was so proud! My choice to make music a regular part of our daily routines was paying off! And music is so much fun so it makes all those routines that you go through with kids (like brushing teeth, washing their faces and hands, getting dressed) so much fun for them!
Hi Nancy, what a great experience with music for your kids and congrats on their amazing achievements so far! It really is incredible to see the kind of influence music has and how it can make simple tasks, like brushing teeth as you mentioned, more enjoyable
Keep up the great work (and have fun with all that music!) and stay tuned for more Neuroscience events like these as well as more articles in the future about the power of music! ^em