Why music?

I found the below article very interesting. It deals with the relationship between music study and reading skills. There are overlapping areas of the brain which control language and musical awareness. Because music stimulates or exercises this part of the brain, there is an increase in the development of verbal sequencing and vocabulary skills.
Even though this study dealt with young, elementary school age children, I believe the benefits from music exposure extend beyond that age range to the very young child. Studies show that a child's vocabulary when entering Kindergarten is a good indicator of reading skills and educational success by third grade. I propose that the best way to enrich a child's vocabulary for Kindergarten entry is to provide a rich environment for your child that includes music exploration. The rhythmic patterns, rhymes, and sequencing of music, along with it's ability to actively involve young children, makes it a great tool for early childhood development. Don't know where to start? You can click here to download a coupon for a free Kindermusik preview class.

Music Education Can Help Children Improve Reading Skills

ScienceDaily (2009-03-16) -- Children exposed to a multi-year program of music tuition involving training in increasingly complex rhythmic, tonal, and practical skills display superior cognitive performance in reading skills compared with their non-musically trained peers, according to a new study. ...  read full article