Building, restoring and maintaining the connection between reading and joy.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The arts and brain development: Does music help elementary students with math? Will dancing or painting improve spacial or reading ability? http://ping.fm/bb6u3
What a fascinating study! I'd heard of a correlation between musical training and mathematics, but this opens up so much more! I would be very interested to read more about this, and hope you'll post more as the research continues.
At this late stage in my own life (well, I'm not quite over the hill, but I am 52, which is a long way away from elementary school) I don't know if my musical training affected my ability to learn -- but I do know that it greatly honed my powers of concentration, as when one is performing one must keep one's mind on the task at hand, and not allow things in the audience to distract one.
We had an arts high school here in the city for many years -- but sadly, it was closed quite some time ago. And that was, obviously, targeted to older students. I wonder if studies are being done to see how participation in the arts affects the brains of older students?
It also occurs to me to wonder (I'll have to go back and re-read, and bookmark, the article) if they are considering dance along with music, as children who are kinetic learners could benefit from the incorporation of movement into their learning experience.
Oh, Emma -- forgive me for such a long comment! This just fascinates me!
Emma Walton Hamilton is a best-selling children's book author, editor and arts educator. Together with her mother, Julie Andrews, Emma has authored 16 books for young readers of all ages, four of which have been on the New York Times Bestseller list. Emma also serves as Editorial Director for the Julie Andrews Collection publishing program, and moonlights as a freelance children's book editor. A Co-Founder of Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY, she created and managed their unique performance and education programs for young audiences for fifteen years. She speaks regularly on the topics of literacy and the arts, and the synergy between the two. Her latest book is "Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment." (www.raisingbookworms.com)
1 comment:
What a fascinating study! I'd heard of a correlation between musical training and mathematics, but this opens up so much more! I would be very interested to read more about this, and hope you'll post more as the research continues.
At this late stage in my own life (well, I'm not quite over the hill, but I am 52, which is a long way away from elementary school) I don't know if my musical training affected my ability to learn -- but I do know that it greatly honed my powers of concentration, as when one is performing one must keep one's mind on the task at hand, and not allow things in the audience to distract one.
We had an arts high school here in the city for many years -- but sadly, it was closed quite some time ago. And that was, obviously, targeted to older students. I wonder if studies are being done to see how participation in the arts affects the brains of older students?
It also occurs to me to wonder (I'll have to go back and re-read, and bookmark, the article) if they are considering dance along with music, as children who are kinetic learners could benefit from the incorporation of movement into their learning experience.
Oh, Emma -- forgive me for such a long comment! This just fascinates me!
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