Music sets preschoolers up for success

In a new study, it has been found that preschoolers who have better vocabulary and attention skills are more likely to do better at school.

This is not a shocking finding. Early childhood educators have been aware of this connection and indeed school readiness programs focus on building both of these skills.

The dots that aren’t always connected is that music learning in preschool is a powerful tool to develop vocabulary and attention skills. Music learning has been found to support early language acquisition, working memory of language sounds and novel words, and advanced phonological awareness. All of these lead to not only better vocabulary but a love of language learning.

Music learning is a great tool to develop attention modulation (shifting from one task to the next) and attention stamina (maintaining attention on one task). Music learning does this by challenging students to shift their attention from one instrument to another, or from one rhythm to another. Attention stamina is extended every time a student repeats a section of a song or adds another bar on to a rhythm pattern.

Music learning can and should be part of these all-important school-ready skills. Do you know someone who needs to understand this connection? A parent, a teacher, a school leader, or a grandparent? Let’s see if we can update their understanding, one mind at a time.