Music

Research have confirmed that a baby in the womb can hear sounds from 20 weeks after conception. This is because the memory develops quicker than the rest of the brain. At birth babies can hear high-pitched noises, may be calmed by lower sounds and can locate sound in front of them. They will be startled by a loud or sudden sound. At 20 weeks they begin to recognise familiar voices and respond differently to the sound of strange voices. 28 weeks they will look towards sounds from above and below and tell tunes apart. By nine months they respond to familiar songs. Their singing may follow a familiar melodic pattern. From one year they will begin to lose the capacity to hear high-pitched sounds but start to discover musical pulse, and create sounds by banging everyday objects.

Why MUSIC?
Music is the bridge that links the world together. The National Curriculum for music says, "As an integral part of culture, past and present, it helps pupils understand themselves and relate to others, forging important links between the home, school and the wider world."
Benefits of learning music includes aiding the development of speech. A child would learn how to struchture language just by singing. According to Jessica Pitt from the Pre-School Music Association: "Babies seem to learn best when songs are experienced through their bodies. Movement and music greatly enhance acquisition of language." Music also enhances social skills. Dr. Alexandra Lamont, Lecturer in the Psychology of Music at the University of Keele says,"Children who take part in music develop higher levels of social cohesion and understanding of themselves and others, and the emotional aspect of musical activities seems to be beneficial for developing social skills like empathy,"

Music enhances your child's intellectual development. Dr. Frances Rauscher, from the University of Wisconsin, says that music "helps improve children's ability to reason abstractly, by strengthening neural firing patterns of the brain that are relevant to both musical and spatial cognition." Music encourages self-expression and self confidence. As well as non-verbal language. Music can convey a complexity of emotions, and offers a means of expression to a shy or diffident child who finds it hard to communicate through speech.
Therefore, music could be discribed as a type of body nutrient that aids healthy human development.