Researching Effects of Music on Children

Subject: BS: Effects of Music on Children
From: LilyFestre
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 04:00 PM

I am currently working on a presentation involving the effects of media on children, more specifically, music. What are your thoughts? What good or bad effects do you think music has on children and why?

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Effects of Music on Children
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 04:09 PM

Resource: Try www.dovesong.com about the effects of music.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Effects of Music on Children
From: LilyFestre
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 04:13 PM

Great site...have it bookmarked...thanks!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Effects of Music on Children
From: GUEST,dianavan
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 04:52 PM

I use two separate discs of Mozart compilations in my class. One is compiled to stimulate creativity, the other is for written tasks. They actually work (I was skeptical at first). The students now ask for Mozart when they are assigned seat work.

d

Subject: RE: BS: Effects of Music on Children
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 09:53 PM

My grandniece is autistic. At four she is just beginning to speak. But her mother tells me that she often goes off by herself, chooses a CD, and dances to the music but only when she is sure she is alone. If she sees someone watching she stops.

Music reaches her.

Subject: RE: BS: Effects of Music on Children
From: *daylia*
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 10:26 AM

I have friends in their mid-thirties who plant their 2year old on their laps in front of the computer every night to watch music videos by such artists as Metallica, Nickelback, Godsmack. They say he asks to watch them; it's his "normal" everyday bedtime routine.

They often ask me for parenting "advice" (my kids are grown now). They tell me they don't understand why the child is so high-strung and fearful of anything unfamiliar, why he so often lapses into angry tantrums for no apparent reason. It's been suggested to them a number of times by both sets of grandparents and friends like myself that perhaps their preferred style of music (heavy or "death" metal) is not appropriate for a 2yr old. They reject this, saying the child "likes" it, and put it down to "generational" differences in musical taste. (I'm 8 years older than they are).

Personally, if the child were mine I'd be putting him to sleep with Kermit singing "It's not easy being green" or something instead. Pardon me if I'm being too critical, but I consider exposing such a young child to such harsh, brutal music / disturbing images every day could be considered a form of child abuse. If anyone has a convincing argument otherwise, I'd love to hear it!

daylia

Subject: RE: BS: Effects of Music on Children
From: *daylia*
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 10:32 AM

Oh, I meant to mention that I don't think this thread should be in the BS section. It's definitely about music, and the topic is an important one that would probably get more attention response "above".

Subject: RE: BS: Effects of Music on Children
From: freightdawg
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 10:45 AM

Great story Dianavan.

I guess all you will get from the most of us is anecdotal, not necessarily scientific, evidence. I know from my own life that listening to my father's concertos and light operas had a strong influence on my life. I don't know whether you could say it teaches, or just reinforces, the ideas of meter, measure, form and composition, but the longer you listen to Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, et. al. you pick up on those concepts. And, listening to Gilbert and Sullivan you learn a tremendous amount of literary skills, from rhyme to vocabulary to pronunciation, etc. You also learn a lot about British humor, and the humor of irony and exageration. Even when you are little and don't understand a word of what is going on, you are able to pick up on the subtle nuances of the direction of the play. Then, as you are able to understand the words, it is like another whole world opens up. Delightful stuff.

With my father now passed, I yearn for those simple days again. I can listen to the same records, but they just don't sound the same, for some reason. I have my classical guitar now, and it fills a lot of the void. Music has a tremendous influence on children, both positive and negative. I wish you the best in your research. Maybe you can let us know what you find out, and how you go about presenting it.

Freightdawg

Subject: RE: BS: Effects of Music on Children
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 10:53 AM

LilyFestre, please let us know what all you find out. I was dismayed last week when my 4-yr-old granddaughter asked me to change the radio station in my car. Where did she learn this? yeah, yeah, it was a particularly draggy piece on the classical music station...

Subject: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: LilyFestre
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 11:12 AM

I am working on a presentation of the effects of music on children, both positive and negative. What do you think? Does music have an effect on children? What kinds of music and what kinds of effects have you observed? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: GUEST,Sooz (at work)
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 11:20 AM

My daughter was definitely affected by music before she was born. I had two LPs for Christmas when I was 7 months pregnant and played them both a lot. She kicked and fidgeted all the time whe Elton John was playing but was still and relaxed for the Mozart Horn Concertos. She asked for a compilation tape to be made of her favourite music when she was four and listened to it every morning before going to school. It included the Mozart but not Elton John!

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Wolfgang
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 11:25 AM

A link to start with

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Wolfgang
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 11:35 AM

A page of links (some of them relevant to this thread)

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Cats
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 12:10 PM

I work with children with Special Needs and Behavioural problems. If you pm me I can let you have as much info on current practice as you like. Also there is some excellent work going on with a very severly autistic child which one of my friends is doing and seeing some superb results.

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 12:12 PM

Ooooh, Cats, please, can you post it here instead of in a PM? I am sure there is general interest!

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Effects of Music on Children
From: fat B****rd
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 01:18 PM

Last time my 9 month old grandaughter Charlotte stayed with us I was left to "mind" her. What to do ?? I plonked her on our bed, got out me trusty 12 string and gave her "Going To The Zoo" "Pick a Bale of Cotton" "Ha Ha Thisaway" etc. She screamed and giggled and bobbed up and down. She's too young to say "One more time, Gramps" but she evidently loved it. I shall be performimg again this weekend. Apart from a bit of practice for me her evident enjoyment is priceless.
PS She also shakes it to the Megane advert !!

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Red and White Rabbit
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 01:57 PM

The autistic boy I work with used to calm down and go to sleep when we put music on and I am working on music with deaf children at the moment they are interested in instruments and rhythms and it interests them a lot more than signed singing. My son is dyspraxis dyslexic and has verbal dyspraxia - when he was younger he couldnt find the right words to say or remember things we overcame this by singing he would make up little songs to remember things to tell me when he got home from school and we would make up songs together to help him remember things for tests etc.

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 05:15 PM

I heard news just last week that may help you....then a search reveals that many places have picked it up. It says that music lessons contribute to IQ level.

this this site

or see the whole search (there may be more info on some)

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: LilyFestre
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 05:18 PM

WOO HOOO! You guys are great! Keep it coming!
Thank you!!!!!!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 05:28 PM

I gave a tape of my singing to a friend who likes my singing but also teaches autistic children. She found that when she played it at work just for her to listen to, it calmed the children down, and it also stopped one particularly difficult child from kicking her in the shins. She sent me a photo of the child (looks angelic!) in question. I know I'm a good singer, but being useful like this is the highest compliment I've ever had!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Jen M
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 06:29 PM

A high school student here started a program of music instruction--simple rythms and instruments for the special needs group at the high school. She had friends from the band help her--her theory was the skills taught in music would translate to academic improvements. Her group was too small and short lived to document much in the way of results but it did have the positive benefit of having the high schoolers interact with a group they hadn't much before. Last year one boy (Down's Syndrome) who had been in band for 4 years (trying his best to keep a beat on a drum) joined the band on the field for games and competitions. We actually had some adjudicators take off points for the "drummer in the pit" who couldn't stay on the beat, but we didn't care, the benefits to ALL involved outweighed the lost points. He had a fantastic time and positively beamed with pride when he was recognized at our competition with the other Seniors. We have another boy with Down's and a multiply challenged girl in our chorus.

Subject: RE: BS: Effects of Music on Children
From: *daylia*
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 08:56 PM

Sorry Michelle, I didn't understand you were after websites/scientific research and not personal stories, or I wouldn't have posted the above. The situation described has been a "sore spot" with me for quite a while; not sure what (if anything) I can do about it that I haven't done already. It was a bit of a relief this morning to get it off my chest.

daylia

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: leeneia
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 10:24 PM

Daylia, I think that if your friends were logical folk, they would refrain from exposing their child to the loud music and then see what the results are. It beats me why they aren't willing to perform a simple experiment in their child's interest,.

I feel for you and for the kid.

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: *daylia*
Date: 15 Sep 04 - 08:56 AM

It beats me too. Obviously they don't find the music "negative" at all themselves - and that beats me a bit as well. Maybe I am an old fogie already. ;-)

If and when an appropriate opportunity presents itself, I'll try a light-hearted "hey, why not try XXXX as a new bedtime experiment for a few days, and see if anything changes" approach. Thanks for the idea and for your kind comments, leeneia.

Now, I wonder what would happen to puppies or kittens or even tender young plants if they were exposed to death metal music every day?


On a different "note" - in my 20+ years as a private music teacher (piano, guitar, theory) I've witnessed over and over again the many beneficial effects that studying music can have for children. The first that come to mind are...

- practicing an instrument develops physical co-ordination (ears, ears, hands, feet etc) as well as co-ordination between body, mind and emotions;

- increases attention span and the ability to listen attentively;

- develops the ability to recognize and focus on the most minute details of the task at hand;

- increases ability to work without supervision and stay on task for long periods of time;

- improves memory;

- improves self-esteem and self-confidence;

- increases ability to remain calm, centered and focused under stress (ie "stage fright")

- develops a healthy, enjoyable emotional "vent" that can last a lifetime;

- encourages the self-discipline required to budget personal time wisely in order to meet deadlines (ie exams, festivals etc)

- exposure to a variety of contrasting musical styles encourages a wider range of musical tastes later in life


daylia

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: black walnut
Date: 15 Sep 04 - 09:29 AM

Debbie Carroll here - early childhood music teacher/performer. I feel that somehow I should be entering into this thread...that it would be wrong for me to seem to be ignoring it. I'm not. It's just that I have some reservations about research via search engine. I've devoted my life's work to teaching early childhood music, and I do it passionately and I KNOW that it is vitally important to the child and to the grownup who shares the music with the child, and I KNOW that research supports me in what I do and why I do it. I deeply respect the researchers who do their jobs well. But take note: there is both good and bad research, in this field as in any other. Where there is money to be had, there is the danger of bad research in order to support sales, when it is funded by those who can make some profit from it. Also, I've heard and read research that comes from such a strong personal bias in a certain direction that it is difficult to take the results at all seriously - the research seems to be tilted in order to 'prove' a point, and maybe the point is a good one, so people swallow the research hook line and sinker. Or, the methods may be flawed or at least stiff, sometimes simply because they are researching pre-talkers/pre-singers (though careful research can be done with this age-group as well). There is plenty of excellent research happening, and I point anyone serious in researching music education - for early childhood right through to adulthood - to contact the International Society of Music Educators (I.S.M.E.) who can point you to the most appropriate and specific and up-to-date publications.

Wolfgang. You said the same thing. Only with far fewer words. Right on, baby.

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Gurney
Date: 15 Sep 04 - 11:12 PM

My boy has always been indifferent to music, and would turn it off if it is left to him, but lately, at 18, he has started to appreciate SONGS, and will play them when working. Songs with story lyrics, and clever songs like Lehrer's. He still is not much interested in music, and he's been exposed to plenty.
Perhaps 'music' should be divided into 'song' and 'melody.'
Then there is the 'my parents are odd' syndrome to consider.

How you would get understandable results is beyond me, even seperating identical twins would scarcely work, due to different environments. Are kids better equipped because they are exposed, or are they musical because they are brighter? Then there are idiot-savants! Poetry or melody?

I hope someone can find an answer, but I'm sure I couldn't.

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: GUEST,SueB
Date: 15 Sep 04 - 11:18 PM

I haven't searched for it yet, but I read an article about a year ago, I think at BBCAmerica Online, about why people like the music they like. The conclusion was that most people in their older years prefer the music they were exposed to as a child, which seems kind of obvious, but the thing that stuck with me about it was the suggestion that your musical taste doesn't change as much as you might think - the music you listen to in your late teens and twenties and thirties doesn't have the same impact in your brain as the music you heard as a kid. Makes the argument for exposing your kids to a large variety of musical idioms at a young age. If you'd like, I'll try to find the article.

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 15 Sep 04 - 11:21 PM

"Now, I wonder what would happen to puppies or kittens or even tender young plants if they were exposed to death metal music every day? "

Would hens lay square eggs? They would pack better...

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: LilyFestre
Date: 17 Sep 04 - 06:30 PM

Keep it coming! I'm interested in personal stories/experiences, research results, websites....ALL of it!!!!!!!!!! I'll post more this weekend.

Thanks to all!!!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 17 Sep 04 - 08:25 PM

We've subjected the Limpit (now 8) to many and varied types of music throughout her life, although just recently she's taken to Queen and Deep Purple.

She's still drawn to the modern stuff but it does mean we can take her to classical concerts (Vivaldi puts her to sleep, Mozart gets her excited, Bach gets up her [and my] nose), folk venues, sessions and singarounds without her getting too fractious. We've always tried to include her in the music, either by giving her shaky eggs to play with when a toddler, or by encouraging her to learn an instrument or sing along. I think being able to join in, and not told to just sit and behave has a great deal to do with appreciation.

As for the small child plopped in front of the computer playing heavy metal - sounds more like the parents trying to get rid of the child for a while. Can a 2 yr old actually articulate what it wants to see or is it just that it's got into the routine and habit of watching HM that it can't break it? I forsee problems in the not too distant future!

LTS

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: GUEST,BlueJay
Date: 18 Sep 04 - 04:06 AM

Michelle--My grandson, Devon, was born prematurely, and his mom and him lived with me once out of the hospital. Devon was quite fussy, what with the oxygen, heart nonitor and all.

It's really amazing, and may be useless to your research, but playing Kate Wolf recordings was usually the only way to console him when he started crying, and his other needs were met.

We tried playing other female folk singers, various bands of different genres, classical, jazz etc to no avail. But put on ANY Kate Wolf tune, and Devon would calm down almost every time, almost immediately.

Devon is 9 years old now. He is surrounded by great music all the time. His primary interests lean towards our local snakes, bugs and horned toads, but his interest in music still comes through. He's probably tried more instruments than most kids, but the one he's shown the most interest and talent for is the DRUMS! The kid has a really good sense of rhythm for a 9 year old.

Go Figger. Thanks, BlueJay

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 19 Sep 04 - 03:56 AM

"When subjected to the most carefully designed and rigorously supervised scientific tests, the organism under test will do just what it damn well pleases!"

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: black walnut
Date: 19 Sep 04 - 08:48 AM

Listen carefully to Liz the Squeak, Michelle. She has one of the luckiest children on the planet when it comes to music. Hansel and Gretel just had a candy house, bad for the teeth and the brain, but Liz and Paul have made their house out of music, good for the soul. I know that for a fact, 'cause I was there. (Live Research Methodology 101).

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: GUEST,*daylia*
Date: 19 Sep 04 - 09:15 AM

Michelle, this is an interesting set of studies from an American universty researching the Effects of Violent Music on Children and Adolescents It's a pdf file - you'll need Adobe Reader (free download)

Here's a couple quotes:

Taken together these studies suggest that the main effects of music may be carried by the emotional "sound" of the music rather than by the the lyrics. The effects of violent music lyrics to not appear to be nearly as powerful as the effects of other, more visual, violent media ... violent music videos appear to have a much more powerful effect.

... if we know a youth is white, male, 15 years old, drug involved, and in trouble with the law then the odds are very high indeed that his music of choice will be some form of hard rock or heavy metal...It does not matter whether the music started the cycle, it matters that the themes enountered in the music may help to perpetuate it. That is, the music may reinforce aggressive and antisocial thoughts and feelings, thus making those thoughts and feelings more likely to occur in the future. Heavy metal music may thus be a risk factore, affecting most those who are already most at risk.

Although research on the effects of violent music is still in the early stages, the findings to date seem to parallel the effects of violent television. There appears to be effects on violent emotions, attitudes and behaviors. Hanson and Hanson (1990a) showed college students a set of videos with varying levels of sex and violence and found that the higher levels of violence not only produced more negative responses to the video and song, but a host of intense negative emotions. As violence went up, students said they felt less happy, more fearful, and more anxious and aggressive.

Videos with many violent images have been shown to increase negative attitudes, including antagonism towards women and acceptability of violence both in themselves and in others...Males who watched violent videos scored higher than other groups on measures of negative affect (emotion) and "antagonistic orientation towards women ...

Hmmm. Maybe I should send this file anonymously to my acquaintances. If these are the effects noted on college students, imagine what goes on in the mind of a 2 year old subjected to those images and sounds at bedtime every day. He doesn't even have the understanding or language yet to process or express what he's seeing and feelings. No wonder it comes out in tantrums instead. :-(

His parents are intelligent responsible people, actually - except for this imo. It's beyond me how they cannot figure this out for themselves ... it's so obvious, it doesn't even require scientific verification imo.

daylia

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 19 Sep 04 - 05:11 PM

I worked as a Youth-Worker in a Local-Authority-maintained Youth Centre for eleven years and quickly became aware that, on nights when we allowed the music system to be played LOUD, behaviour tended to WORSEN (the youngsters, not the Youth-Workers! LOL), and theft, vandalism and violence were more likely to happen than on nights when the volume was kept at a lower level.

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Wolfgang
Date: 20 Sep 04 - 04:47 PM

the organism under test will do just what it damn well pleases

You got it, Foulestroope, that's the idea, why do research when you know what the result/reaction will be.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: GUEST,Crystal
Date: 20 Sep 04 - 04:57 PM

As a child the only forms of music I was exposed at home to were folk music and a little bit of classical. This was purely because my parents had very little interested in comercial pop. I'm not sure what the actual effects on me were then, but listening to folk music, especially morris tunes now makes me feel calm and happy and fills me with a sence of being cared for.

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Kaleea
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 03:54 AM

If you are only interested in Media, you are eliminating the "live Music" factor. There is a marked difference. When we use pure Acoustic Music, the "vibrations" (to make it easier to understand than sound waves) are able to flow into & be accepted & processed by the brain. Try standing a few feet away from someone playing the bagpipes! You can literally feel the Music vibrating your body--for real!! The sound waves of recorded Music are quite different. The aural stuff which is horribly distorted by electronic means is not going to have the same effect. It will affect the brain in much the same way as the old science project of playing classical music to one plant which grows gracefully & beautifully, as compared to the hard rock "music" played to the 2nd plant which grows in a disfigured & distorted way--DUH!! My degree is in teaching Music to Special Ed kids (& so called "normal" too), so I have studied how to get inside the brain of those whose brains are often "wired" differently. The fact that Music stimulates growth of neuropathways in the brain & braincells--as believed by many--is nothing new, however, the fact is that live acoustic Music is by far the most stimulating. With children, we know that partial brain damage can be "made up for" of sorts by bypassing that part of the brain & using other portions/creating new neuropathways. I have also noticed that using live acoustic Music with alzheimer's patients has a fascinatingly similar effect. I have used repeated exposure to various Music activities to stimulate short term memory--& it has worked! As long as I kept the activities going on a regular basis-almost daily-I saw improvement. As a Music Educator, I know how to use many methods of learning in Music activities all at the same time, as this offers more opportunity for the person to "get it."
    Catters, try getting yourselves & kids in the middle of a bagpipe band or a steel drum band!! You & the kids will be fascinated by what you feel, hear, & see. Especially--what you feel.

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Wolfgang
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 11:42 AM

Sie mag Musik nur, ween sie laut ist, das ist alles, was sie hört (Herbert Grönemeyer)
(she only loves music when it's loud, for that's all she can hear; from a modern German song about a deaf girl)

Kaleea, I believe your daily experiences with using music in teaching and learning, however the background information you add is not very sound. Two bits:
(1) The Mozart effect you allude to (plants) is very far from established. The research on that field is ripe with errors.
(2) Processed music is different from live music (how much that depends upon the medium), but the feeling in the body you can get easily with recorded music as well. Just play it loud enough and you'll feel it (even if the low frequencies that are most easily felt may be missing). One additional difference between a live piper and a recorded is amplitude for you normally never play recorded music as loud as you tolerate a piper.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Wolfgang
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 11:52 AM

Sie mag Musik nur, ween sie laut ist, das ist alles, was sie hört (Herbert Grönemeyer)
(she only loves music when it's loud, for that's all she can hear; from a modern German song about a deaf girl)

Kaleea, I believe your daily experiences with using music in teaching and learning, however the background information you add is not very sound. Two bits:
(1) The Mozart effect you allude to (plants) is very far from established. The research on that field is ripe with errors.
(2) Processed music is different from live music (how much that depends upon the medium), but the feeling in the body you can get easily with recorded music as well. Just play it loud enough and you'll feel it (even if the low frequencies that are most easily felt may be missing). One additional difference between a live piper and a recorded is amplitude for you normally never play recorded music as loud as you tolerate a piper.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Wolfgang
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 11:58 AM

Sie mag Musik nur, ween sie laut ist, das ist alles, was sie hört (Herbert Grönemeyer)
(she only loves music when it's loud, for that's all she can hear; from a modern German song about a deaf girl)

Kaleea, I believe your daily experiences with using music in teaching and learning, however the background information you add is not very sound. Two bits:
(1) The Mozart effect you allude to (plants) is very far from established. The research on that field is ripe with errors.
(2) Processed music is different from live music (how much that depends upon the medium), but the feeling in the body you can get easily with recorded music as well. Just play it loud enough and you'll feel it (even if the low frequencies that are most easily felt may be missing). One additional difference between a live piper and a recorded is amplitude for you normally never play recorded music as loud as you tolerate a piper.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: LilyFestre
Date: 09 Oct 04 - 08:37 AM

Thanks for all the information everybody! The date of my presentation is approaching quickly...next Friday!!!! I will be working on last minute touches throughout the week. If you have anything else to add or share, I still have time! :)

About live music, yes....personally I know there is a HUGE difference between live and recorded, unfortuneatly, my given topic is only for effects of music on children.

Any quotes about this that stick in your minds? I realize the internet is full of them but I am interested in ones that have struck a chord in you personally.

Thanks again Everybody....for everything!!!!!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 09 Oct 04 - 08:38 PM

I don't want to distract you with last minute ideas...but you asked...

I once listened to a presentation (the topic isn't important, but it did involve children) where the presenter used Peanuts cartoons on the overhead projector to illustrate various ideas. It was one of the best presentations I ever heard.

I also participated in a workshop where I ended up playing the piano for an afterhours get-together where everyone was obsessed with the song "Happiness" from "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown."

This song is very catchy and has several lines appropriate to children and music:

Happiness is playing the drum in your own school band.

Happiness is singing together when day is through.

I can't find the midi on the 'net...suspect copyright issues...but did find a short clip here.

Once I used a cartoon of Schroeder and Snoopy dancing on the piano for the program cover in a children's piano recital. That probably has copyright issues too!

Good luck on your presentation!

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: GUEST,Katie and Emily
Date: 19 May 06 - 01:30 PM

Why is music important to teens specificly?

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: GUEST
Date: 25 May 06 - 08:46 AM

Subject: RE: Researching Effects of Music on Children
From: Rasener
Date: 25 May 06 - 11:54 AM

My Autistic daughter is being taught to play keyboard and is doing very well. She is also in a Junior Choir and I am stunned at the quality of this chior - mydaughter loves singing. She also goes to dance lessons, which she has always enjoyed up to recently, until she moved up into the older group. It is proving too difficult for her and she refuses to go anymore.
She occasionally goes to my folkclub and enjoys it till halftime and then wants to go home.
She loves going to Ceilidhs although she does get cross at times becuase she can't do the most difficult dances.
She also watches a lot of music on the Sky music programs and sings a lot to them.
WE don't allow very loud music because of damaging her ears, but I am very pleased to say that music is a big part of her life.
By the way she is 10