Illumination Learning Studio (ILS), our local kid’s music, drama, voice, and fine arts organization, has opened registration for their Fall Toddler Music and Movement sessions. This class lets toddlers and their parents or caregivers explore the joys of music, learning to recognize rhythms, practicing large motor coordination, and socializing with other families through song. Participants will learn through echoing and sequencing, rhythm and movement, ear training, and exploration of piano keys and instruments.
Classes are held at 10am on Saturdays at their Greenwood studio, and 4- and 6- week sessions are available in August, September, and October. For a little more in-depth information on the value of music for kids, check out a recent blog post from ILS below.
Before moving to Seattle and co-founding Illumination Learning Studio (ILS), Mike Piper worked for the Chicago Park District where he started researching, designing, and implementing his own early childhood music programs.
Although he had a background in Secondary Music Education and a minor in Child Psychology, Mr. Mike was (at that time) unfamiliar with preschool music programs. He hoped to find a readymade template in a quick internet search, and instead discovered nearly 350 pages of neurological science and data that emphasized the importance of understanding what he would be teaching.
At the time, a team of researchers, led by Dr. Frances Rauscher at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, was studying the effects of music on children’s brains. In one study, they divided 111 children aged 3.0-4.9 into four groups. One group received piano lessons, another singing lessons, a third group computer science lessons, and the last group received no lessons.
Spatial temporal testing conducted before and after the two-year study showed that the group studying music scored an average of 14 points higher than the other groups, including those receiving computer science lessons.
Brain imaging, of significant interest in the 1990s, allowed researchers to observe and measure brain activity during different learning activities. The same brain regions were active when engaging in music, science, and math tasks.
During his 17 years of teaching with the Chicago Parks, Mr. Mike observed that students struggling with math also struggled with music concepts, often becoming frustrated and quitting. Conversely, students who excelled in math seemed to effortlessly pick up piano, suggesting that early introduction to musical patterns could provide children with the foundational skills for success in math and science.
His informal study was supported by feedback from parents whose children had participated in his program for a year or more. When he met these parents years later, they often reported that their children were doing well in school, particularly in math, frequently achieving grades above their class average.
These observations have formed the basis of Mr. Mike’s advocacy over the past 30 years: to improve children’s math skills and overall academic success, teach them music at an early age. As Shari Lewis stated, and Mr. Mike concurs, “Music makes you smart.”
