A recent study found that repeated enrolment in Kindermusik
improves a child's ability to plan, guide, and control their
own behavior.
"Children currently enrolled in
Kindermusik showed higher levels of self-control than those
never enrolled and those previously enrolled. ...This
suggests that in order for children to reap the benefit of
increased self-control as a result of Kindermusik
participation, it is important to have repeated and recent
Kindermusik experiences and remain enrolled in the program."
"Four-year-old children who had been exposed to
Kindermusik for longer periods of time are better off in
terms of self-control—namely a child's ability to plan,
guide, and control their own behavior—than similar children
with less Kindermusik history."
"These experiences, stop-go, high-low, fast-slow,
short-long, and loud-soft, whereby children's motor behavior
is guided by the music, appear to be good exercise for young
children's emerging self-regulatory skills."
The study, "The Effects of Kindermusik on Behavioral
Self-Regulation in Early Childhood," was conducted in 2005
in the psychology department at George Mason University in
Virginia.
Results were made available to Kindermusik in May, 2005. The
study was conducted by Adam Winsler Ph.D and graduate
student Lesley Ducenne in the Department of Psychology at
George Mason University. The 15-month study included 91
children between the ages of 3 and 5 who were split into
three groups: 23 students currently enrolled in Kindermusik,
19 students previously enrolled in Kindermusik, and 49
students of similar family backgrounds from local preschools
who had never had Kindermusik.
The children were observed doing a variety of tasks that
required self-control such as slowing down their motor
behavior, delaying their gratification, refraining from
touching attractive but forbidden toys, quietly whispering,
and compliance with instructions to initiate or stop certain
behaviors. Parents also completed surveys.
The study was supervised by Adam Winsler, Ph.D, Applied
Developmental Psychology in the Department of Psychology at
George Mason University.
Children are reaping the benefits of our early childhood
music programmes in expected and unexpected ways, as our
parents will confirm.
