Introducing..Churchill's Future Musical Prodigies!

 Because traditional learning is very math and science focused music is not always viewed as an academic priority. But finding a rhythm or catching a tune is not just for entertaining and engaging children; it helps them to further develop important skills like memorizing, predicting, sequencing, patterning and even literacy. Participating in a child directed group activity like a "marching band" encourages social development as the children are in charge of facilitating, leading and organizing their play as well as communicating and listening to each other. Using musical instruments also encourages children to develop their fine motor skills which assist in the development of proper pencil grasp (a goal in Kindergarten). For children who struggle academically, the arts can be a way to thrive and feel successful in school. The success, confidence and pride children feel from participating in music and movement will stick with them throughout their school careers and throughout life. Children are naturally drawn to music and movement; so what better way to develop important skills and abilities than through something that they are interested and engaged in.

Children who are given opportunities early in life to explore musical instruments are not only more likely to want to play later in life but they are also more likely to want to continue to be lifelong learners. Today we set the instruments out on the bench during outdoor play to see what would happen and this is what unfolded: