By Guest Blogger Jenna from Lilliput Concerts.
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| Photo: Gill Thomas from Mouse About Town |
We’ve all heard about the therapeutic benefits of classical music for stimulating brains both old and new, but how can it benefit you and your family?
Across the length and breadth of the country there has been a musical revolution in miniature, with the advent of professional concerts aimed specifically at families with babies and young toddlers. For younger audience members, research has shown that listening to and participating in live music can promote language, listening and motor skills, as well as having positive effects on behaviour and other sensory development.
A recent study in the U.S has found that even the youngest premature babies can benefit from exposure to classical music, with babies showing an improvement in their vital signs when music was played to them on hospital wards. For those who are slightly older, researchers at Brigham Young University found that music with a steady rhythm and soothing melody, by composers such as Mozart or Haydn, could reduce stress and signs of discomfort in teething and colicky babies (a welcome revelation for any parent who has tried to comfort a crying child).
Across the length and breadth of the country there has been a musical revolution in miniature, with the advent of professional concerts aimed specifically at families with babies and young toddlers. For younger audience members, research has shown that listening to and participating in live music can promote language, listening and motor skills, as well as having positive effects on behaviour and other sensory development.
A recent study in the U.S has found that even the youngest premature babies can benefit from exposure to classical music, with babies showing an improvement in their vital signs when music was played to them on hospital wards. For those who are slightly older, researchers at Brigham Young University found that music with a steady rhythm and soothing melody, by composers such as Mozart or Haydn, could reduce stress and signs of discomfort in teething and colicky babies (a welcome revelation for any parent who has tried to comfort a crying child).
When it comes to toddlers, we are all familiar with the seemingly instinctive urge to dance that playing music seems to stimulate (and the joyous smiles on their faces as they do so!). It is in these moments that music fires imaginations and opens children to ways of creative expression unlike other experiences they may have had. Family classics, such as the enigmatic ‘Peter and the Wolf’ encourage children to engage not only with the instruments but also with the characters it represents – providing a love of story-telling as well as musical listening.
But it is not only for children that music has benefits. Music is increasingly used at all stages during pregnancy, childbirth and parenting to relax and soothe the anxieties of mums, dads and other family members. Which of us hasn’t experienced plummeting stress levels on hearing a relaxing classic or an increase in positivity when our favourite, up-beat song comes on the radio? This is no coincidence! Research indicates that we are instinctively drawn to music for its positive effects on our emotions and the regulation of the part of the brain known as the amygdala; in stressful situations, the sound of soothing music helps to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, resulting in a calmer and more positive approach to whatever difficulty we are confronting.
For families these specific benefits for the individual child or parent are, of course, important. But listening to live classical music is about more than this. It is about bringing families together and bonding over these musical experiences. So, why not start your family’s musical journey by dipping a toe into a family friendly concert near you?
For families these specific benefits for the individual child or parent are, of course, important. But listening to live classical music is about more than this. It is about bringing families together and bonding over these musical experiences. So, why not start your family’s musical journey by dipping a toe into a family friendly concert near you?
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| Photo: Gill Thomas from Mouse About Town |
There are concerts for 0+ in a wide variety of locations and to suit all musical tastes and budgets. In the South West, Bristol and Cheltenham have exciting concerts on offer from Lilliput Concerts with the excellent Music for Miniatures their nearest neighbours in Bath. Over the border in Wales, Baby Brahms keep us entertained, and there is Baby Gigs in Leicestershire. For those further North there is Recitals for Wrigglers in Edinburgh and who can forget the original Classical Babies in London and Manchester. Whatever musical experience is for you, you’re sure to emerge relaxed, refreshed and re-energised!
Find Lilliput Concerts at http://lilliputconcerts.blogspot.co.uk or on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilliputConcerts
and if your little one wants to explore their own musical skills, Born has a full range of
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