Fun with Languages Responds to the need for Music Education at Home and in the Classroom (for parents, teachers and children)

Studies show that music can help improve early cognitive development and spatial reasoning skills in babies, as well as improve standardized test scores, basic math and reading skills, and self-esteem in children and adults. Despite the statistics, across the nation, school budgets are tightening, and music programs are being cut; thus, resulting in an increased importance for parents and teachers to incorporate music into their childrens daily routines. The founders of Fun with Languages, based in Miami Lakes, Florida, have prepared to fill this gap by producing a suite of classical music CDs for babies, young children, parents, and teachers that can be used at home or in the classroom.

Miami Lakes, FL November 1, 2003 -- In recent decades, medical researchers have been studying the ways in which music can enhance human development. Studies show that music can help improve early cognitive development and spatial reasoning skills in babies, as well as improve standardized test scores, basic math and reading skills, and self-esteem in children and adults.

For example, as reported in the Early Childhood Research Quarterly, a 1999 field study shows that in the Kindergarten classes of the school district of Kettle Moraine, Wisconsin, children who were given music instruction scored 48 percent higher on spatial-temporal skills tests than those who did not receive music training.

According to Professor Gordon Shaw, University of California, Irvine, after his study of seven year-olds in Los Angeles, "Music helps children to learn math. When children learn rhythm, they are learning ratios, fractions, and proportions."

And as reported in The Case for Sequential Music Education in the Core Curriculum of the Public School, The Center for the Arts in the Basic Curriculum, New York, 1989, the very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry are, nearly without exception, practicing musicians.

Despite the statistics, across the nation, school budgets are tightening, and music programs are being cut; thus, resulting in an increased importance for parents and teachers to incorporate music into their childrens daily routines. The founders of Fun with Languages, based in Miami Lakes, Florida, have prepared to fill this gap by producing a suite of classical music CDs for babies, young children, parents, and teachers that can be used at home or in the classroom.

At Home
From prebirth, you can begin to exercise the benefits of music with your child, as music has been shown to stimulate brain growth, even inside the womb. Most babies ears are well developed by 20 weeks gestation. The soft harmonies of music can assist in calming your child. If the same music that was played while your baby was in the womb is played after your baby is born, he or she will quickly establish a reference point, for your baby is already familiar with the sounds. This reference point, along with establishing a routine, can ease the anxiety your baby often feels at naptime or bedtime.

In reviewing Fun with Languages CD, Fun with Sleep, Songs for the Rocking Chair, Sara Butler, MT-BC (Music Therapist Board Certified) and Elementary School Teacher says, The tempos of the pieces are appropriate for achieving a state of relaxation and eventually sleep. The music imposes a rhythmic framework that provides order and structure for bedtime. The resting childs heart rate will eventually match the tempo of the music assisting them in relaxing, remaining calm, and sleeping; while at the same time exposing them to wonderful pieces of music."

If you have been incorporating music into your childs daily routine since prebirth, he or she may already be at an advantage when its time for school. It is important to continue on the path youve already established. If you have not been incorporating music into your childs daily routine, there is no better time to start than now. Listening to classical music while studying has shown to improve focus and concentration. If your childs school is not utilizing music in the classroom as a means of improving these attributes, you can still do so at home. Studies show that if a students attention drifts from their work, the music usually helps bring their attention back to the task at hand.

In the Classroom
As previously stated, classical music has been shown to increase focus and concentration; thus, increasing a students attention level, encouraging creative thought, improving memory, and extending learning time; therefore, as music programs are being cut, it is crucial that teachers from non-music teaching classrooms begin to incorporate music into their lesson plans.

According to Dee Dickinson, CEO and founder of New Horizons for Learning in Seattle, Washington, There are many ways to incorporate music in the curriculum of any subject, whether it is to provide a rich background for literature and writing courses, concrete ways to learn fractions and other mathematical concepts, understanding of other cultures, or accelerated ways of learning foreign languages and other subjects.

There are a variety of ideas circulating within the teaching community on how to begin integrating music into the classroom. For example, consider using music as a reference point for a specific time period being studied, as background music for a poetry reading, as an introduction to class to stimulate the students minds, or even as an ending to class, leaving the students with a positive feeling as they leave the classroom.

Fun with Languages has produced two CDs specifically for teachers, to be used in the classroom as tools to enhance a students learning environment. The Fun With Languages CD, Fun with Teachers - Music for the Classroom Butler says, is a wonderful compilation of classical selections that are very well suited for creating an environment of focus and concentration in the classroom. As a music therapist and educator, I would definitely incorporate this CD into my daily routines with the clients and students with which I work.

Fun with Languages current catalog offering includes:
Fun with Sleep- Songs for the Rocking Chair (Calm)Calm and relaxing classical music that gives both children and adults a reference point, which promotes learning and helps establish a routine.
Fun with Playtime- A Moment to Share with Your Child(Creativity) Classical compositions compiled to enhance the creative experience by exposing children to important musical stimulus.
Fun with TeachersVolume 1 (Focus)Compositions selected to help develop concentration in children. Musical activities provide children with important experiences that can help them develop memory, visual and language skills.
Fun with Teachers Volume 2(Calm)Compositions that help children remain calm and relaxed. When played as part of a daily schedule they will create a reference point that promotes learning.

The Fun with Languages music compilations are an invaluable resource for parents, teachers, and children. For more information on the products listed above, please visit: www.funwithlanguages.com or call Rick Hinds @ 305-824-1231.
You can write Fun with Languages at P.O. Box 4546, Hialeah, Florida 33014.

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