Music is an aural art and young children are aural learners. Since ears are fully mature before birth, infants begin learning from the sounds of their environment before birth. Music is perfectly designed for training children's listening skills. Good listening skills and school achievement go hand in hand.Developmentally appropriate music activities involve the whole child-the child's desire for language, the body's urge to move, the brain's attention to patterns, the ear's lead in initiating communication, the voice's response to sounds, as well as the eye-hand coordination associated with playing musical instruments.Music is a creative experience which involves expression of feelings. Children often do not have the words to express themselves and need positive ways to release their emotions.Music transmits culture and is an avenue by which beloved songs, rhymes, and dances can be passed down from one generation to another.Music is a social activity which involves family and community participation. Children love to sing and dance at home, school, and at church.

Today we know more about how children learn and grow than ever before. Today we have data to confirm our hunch that "Music is vital to life." Read what experts in their fields think about the benefits of music and movement.

Speech and music have a number of shared processing systems. Musical experiences which enhance processing can therefore impact on the perception of language which in turn impacts on learning to read.