Children are born with innate love for music.  With all the researches made about the effect of music to child's development, pregnant mothers are now letting their unborn child to listen to some classical music using the latest gadgets available in the market.  

My son is also a music lover.  He likes to sing and dance in front of other people.  He doesn't exude shyness.  He sings and dances whenever he hears the latest songs playing wherever we are, whether at the mall or just simply at home.  He is full of confidence in front of other people.  If you know my son, for sure you'll vouch on the level of confidence he possesses :)

Now, there are still a lot of questions about the effectiveness of music in brain development of a child.  Does it really make children smarter when they listen to classical music like of Mozart and Beethoven?

Until now, the relationship between music and child development is a widely discussed subject in the circles of early childhood music therapists.  Dr. Liz Inciong, a pediatrician and a Fellow of Philippine Pediatric Society and and Associate Active Consultant of the Institute of Pediatrics and Child Health at St. Luke's Medical Center for 18 years and Teacher Marah Vasque-Estuesta of Kindermusik International are among those who have scientific understanding of the matter and strongly support it.

The two experts have discovered the role of music plays in a child's cognitive development through extensive interaction and training with young minds.  They found out that the child's cognitive development is anchored on the theory of Multiple Intelligence of Dr. Howard Gardner.  According to Multiple Intelligence Theory, a child's intellectual capacity isn't solely based on and measured by verbal or mathematical skills; in fact, it is far more comprehensive, covering social, music, kinesthetic and visual intelligences as well.

Dr. Inciong said that music plays an important role in the development of a child's various modes of intelligence, particularly mental, physical and social aspects.  "Music helps chidlren seek patterns in their environment, which allows them to easily recall words, phrases, even in foreign languages.  They become more perceptive to sound and develop into astute learners," Dr. Inciong added.


Music: How it impacts child development

Children as young as four can absorb the potential educational benefits of listening to music that are known to make an impact during these sensitive developmental years.  Things such as speech and language development, motor and rhythmic coordination and even social skills are honed through early exposure to music.

However, this doesn't necessarily mean that a child must learn how to play a musical instrument.  While there's little doubt that doing so helps their mental development, studies show that simply having children actively listen to songs is enough to help them reap the benefits of cognitive development and maybe even encourage them to pick up a musical instrument to learn.

Teacher Marah shared that the right tempo and message aids in the development of neurophysiological distinctions between sounds that develop literacy, which tangibly results in better academic results.


M.I. Beats Playlist: Progress Pre-School Gold's way of addressing music for learning

To address this opportunity of harnessing music for learning, Dr. Inciong and Teacher Marah have partnered with Progress Pre-School Gold to create the first-ever playlist which is based on scientific research and practical applications.  The said playlist is also designed to help build and promote Multiple Intelligence in the Philippines.