About : bilingual singing
Upcoming Events:
Free session - 18.9.2019 at 9.40am
Come and join me in the Blue Room of Holy Trinity Church, Twickenham Green, on the 18th September for a free taster session!
Bookings appreciated : 07904 414042
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Young children and sounds
Young children are incredibly fast language learners. Babies absorb all sounds like sponges, especially during the first six months of their life. Toddlers and preschoolers are in the best period of their life to learn a second language: at the same time as they learn their mother tongue. The younger we are, the more flexible our brains are, and the greater the brain's ability to restructure itself. As we get old, this flexibility diminishes. Exposing young children to a second language is therefore wonderful preparation for their future learning.
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But why language and music?
When my daughter was 3 months old, we moved to England. I talked to her in French, while my husband spoke to her in Japanese. I took her to some rhyme time classes in English; after a while, she started to sing the songs, even though she didn’t understand English! Her first English words came through music.
Have you noticed how you might remember better something if it’s linked in your mind with a catchy tune? Or with a rhyme, or rhythm? The part of the brain that processes song also processes speech. By linking music and language, the musical ear of the child will develop in the same time as their capacity to reproduce the sounds and accents of a foreign language.
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Other benefits of music
Music training helps children develop emotional and behavioral maturity. It also influences motor skills, activates multiple brain networks and creates new neural pathways in the brain.
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