According to one school of thought, only gifted children should play music, i.e., those with an ear for music, a sense of rhythm, and a talent for creating music. In reality, this is not true. Every child needs music in order to develop successfully. Research proves that playing or even listening to music develops memory, attention, and intellect. Children should be introduced to music as soon as possible, better yet — before birth.
“Spiritual upbringing begins in the family,” says Yuriy Lomakin, deputy director for education at Children’s School of the Arts No. 4. “Children who paint or play music will never be able to hurt any living thing. Their internal world is usually richer than that of other children, who do not take up the arts. Moreover, a well-developed imagination helps children excel in the exact sciences.” It is not necessary to enroll in a music college or conservatory after leaving school. An estimated 98 percent of the graduates of Kyiv’s School of the Arts No. 4 are students of exact and natural sciences. Lomakin’s own son enrolled in an aviation institute after leaving this school. Even though he never became a professional musician, he enjoys going to the theater, listening to jazz and other kinds of music.
Mykhailo Chemberzhi, the rector of the Kyiv Academy of the Arts, who is also a composer and educator, says that the energy of art has a tremendous influence on the young. If a child becomes immersed in this kind of atmosphere, you can immediately expect him or her to grow intellectually and become noble-minded. Children who are engaged in the arts differ from their peers. Their fund of spirituality manifests itself in their desire to study, work, and be responsible for their actions. “This colossal spiritual energy helps a child to perceive this world differently and love it,” says Chemberzhi. “Parents should raise their children this way when they are still very young, in diapers. As soon as a child opens its eyes, it should find itself among paintings, music, and poetry. These are artistic means of educational work with children.”
Psychologists share this opinion. “Every person has a broad variety of gifts,” says doctoral candidate in Psychology Vitaliy Panok: “As a rule, they are inherited. This is the potential that a child has from birth. These gifts require constant practice to grow into talents. This potential will develop into aptitudes for certain kinds of creative work. Creative work turns gifts into capabilities. The extent of a child’s motivation is reflected in the capabilities that s/he shows. The development of creative potential is influenced by the child’s environment and the parents’ occupations. The parents’ values, opinions, and worldviews influence the formation of the child’s system of values. All of this is reflected in the child’s behavior.” Panok believes that regular creative practice develops the child’s attention span, responsibility, systemic approach, and self-discipline. It also develops group communication skills and facilitates self- improvement.
The favorable influence of creativity can be classified according to the type of art. Music develops musical perception, tastes, and values. Painting develops visual memory, color differentiation, perceptiveness, patience, which is especially important for the child, and creative imagination. Dance helps to free the child from inhibitions. Music as a method of therapy for withdrawn and autistic children is called music therapy. Moreover, dancing develops coordination and intellect.
In the 1950s scientists proved empirically that music influences the development of the fetus in the womb, although this was known earlier. In the early 20th century there were music therapy centers in all countries, helping children to develop psychologically and emotionally, and expectant mothers to relieve stress and prepare for labor. In the mid- 20th century American scientists conducted art experiments in daycare centers. Children who once lagged behind their peers caught up in reading and outpaced their peers in mathematics once they took up some artistic hobby. Japanese scientists made a revolutionary discovery in the late 20th century. Their research showed that a fetus in the womb hears everything that is happening both within the mother’s body and the surrounding world. “Research has shown that the fetus not only hears music, but shows emotion: it is ‘sad’ when the music is calm, and ‘happy’ when the music is cheerful,” says psychologist Iryna Zhdanova: “Music influences all systems and organs in the child: the respiration rate, muscular tone, and gastric activity — they all intensify. By listening to nice music during pregnancy, the future mother has a good opportunity to influence the child’s future intellect and creative and musical aptitudes.”
