Hello everyone! In this issue’s column, I address a topic
that many families are curious about. Today, every child—whether at their own
request or by their family’s guidance—is directed toward some hobby, activity,
or area of learning. So does receiving music education at an early age really
contribute to children’s emotional and behavioral differences?
In order to gain a different perspective on the topic, I
spoke with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nevra Küpana, a faculty member in the
Musicology Department at Sakarya University State Conservatory.
Zeynep Bulgulu Asrar (Z.B.A.):
Ms. Nevra, first of all, thank you for accepting my
interview request. Based on your various studies in music education and the
academic articles you have written on this subject, we would love to hear your
thoughts. Do you think music education is something every child should receive,
either before starting school or during their school years?
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nevra Küpana (N.K.):
Hello! My academic work is focused on both piano education
and general music education. In particular, my studies on the positive effects
of music on child development, in the field of music psychology, have formed
the basis of my post-doctoral work abroad. Based on my research on children and
youth who either have or have not received professional or amateur music
training, I can confidently say that music education is something every
child should receive.
Z.B.A.:
We always talk about the importance of “starting music
education at an early age.” In your view, how does starting young affect a
child’s development? I know you have carried out studies on this topic—what
would you advise mothers and our readers?
N.K.:
A child’s first contact with music begins in the womb.
Babies can recognize sounds and notice different pitches; their sense of melody
starts to develop. We know that a baby who hears certain music in the womb
recognizes it and reacts to it after birth. As children grow, so do their
rhythmic and melodic perceptions. While not every child’s progress follows
exactly the same timeline, there are musical behaviors and skills that can
generally be acquired in the preschool period. Examples of such skills include
distinguishing high and low pitches, recognizing slow and fast tempos, making
movements that match the music, keeping tempo, and repeating simple rhythmic
patterns. Without a doubt, beyond individual differences, special musical
talent, and genetic factors, a child who had more frequent contact with music
in the womb will have more developed musical skills compared to peers. These
examples are just the first steps in musical development. Music is, of course,
a deep field requiring a long-term educational process—both a special art form
and a science.
From a general developmental perspective, music plays an
important role in cognitive, physical, emotional, social, and cultural
development. Especially in the preschool period, involvement in musical
activities supports brain growth and flexibility, language development, fine
motor skills, and creativity. Therefore, I encourage parents to introduce their
children to music at an early age, particularly by turning to a variety of
music- and movement-based methods in the preschool years. Examples of approaches
one can explore include Orff, Dalcroze, Kindermusik, Music Together, and
Montessori. The most important recommendation is, no matter which approach you
choose, to entrust your child to educators who are truly specialized and
competent in that approach. Of course, you can’t simply direct a child and
expect them to progress on their own—parents need to create an environment at
home that supports the child’s musical, artistic, and overall growth.
Rather than expecting the child to listen to music on their
own, parents should actively listen to music themselves and incorporate it into
daily life (so it’s not just a “task” but part of life), choose music that
suits the child’s psychological and emotional development, sing age-appropriate
songs together in the child’s native language, keep tempo together with the
music, and consistently play for the child the same music heard in the womb
from birth onward—thus contributing to the development of musical memory.
Z.B.A.:
As music education impacts a child in so many areas, how do
you think it influences their emotional behaviors?
N.K.:
Music has many positive effects on emotional development.
It’s beneficial to encourage children to discuss the emotional qualities of the
music they listen to or perform, to help them explore their imagination and
sense of aesthetics, to use music for relaxation and visualization, to allow
them to express themselves through improvisation, and to facilitate
socialization through music. Including these musical experiences both at home
and in the music education process supports children’s emotional development.
It also enhances their ability to understand, perceive, evaluate, and express
emotions, thereby improving emotional intelligence. In particular, the
social-emotional learning model is applied to help disadvantaged children
integrate into society. Students who take part in various ensemble or vocal
groups develop skills such as empathy, communication, social harmony, and
leadership.
Z.B.A.:
We often mention how music education contributes to a
child’s emotional and behavioral development. In your opinion, what positive
effects can it have on intelligence, and what are your views on this topic?
N.K.:
Music has positive effects on cognitive development. Studies
show that early childhood music education—especially instrument
training—contributes to brain plasticity, and significant neural changes
persist into adulthood. Music also has an integrative quality, bridging the
right and left hemispheres of the brain. Music education not only strengthens
musical memory but also positively supports the development of visual,
auditory, and kinesthetic memory. Various studies, both domestically and
internationally, reveal that children who receive music education perform
better than those who do not in a variety of tests involving memory, reasoning,
verbal, visual, auditory, IQ, numbers, math operations, and so on.
Additionally, since there are similarities between language acquisition and
music learning processes, one can also speak of positive effects of music
education on language development and literacy skills. Meanwhile, children with
specific learning challenges are known to make progress through rhythmic training.
Given these benefits for academic achievement, it becomes clear that music
education is an integral part of general education.
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Assoc.
Prof. Dr. Nevra Küpana for bringing an academic perspective and sharing
such illuminating information. As I’ve mentioned in many of my writings, and as
my interviewee also highlighted, music education begins in the womb. If guided
appropriately in a child’s journey toward becoming an individual, music can
continue to accompany them for a long time. Starting education in the womb, of
course, doesn’t mean placing a book in the baby’s hand right away. Rather, it
involves carefully and systematically choosing certain music/melodies, playing
them at set intervals for the mother during pregnancy and then for the child
after birth, continuing to let that same music accompany the child’s daily life
and free time, and helping the child analyze it—without forcing awareness of
it—so that these elements form the foundation of the child’s musical education.
The different sounds, rhythmic variations, rises, and falls
in the music that the child hears will inevitably create a level of awareness
and an emerging sense of hearing. And finally, by turning to an expert in this
field to build on the infrastructure and education you, as parents, have laid,
you can successfully complete this musical journey.
