Live Music Is Good for Child Development

Is it really worth the time, energy, and money to take your children to a live concert? A music therapist explains how live music helps young kids develop social skills, listening skills, motor skills, and more.

Live music is a wonderful activity for the whole family to share together, but it is also good for a child’s development in many ways. While some of these benefits may seem obvious, they often need our conscious attention in order to enhance the experience for our young children and students.

Live Music Is Social

Music performances are social experiences in which a group of people comes together to listen to a concert. The audience and musicians have a shared history of being together for that particular show. And live music performances are each a unique expression made just for that audience on that day.

Live Music Is Inspiring

Music concerts are opportunities for children to experience and be inspired by the magic of music being made right in front of them. In an article published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children titled Theater, Live Music, and Dance Conversations about Young Audiences, musician Cathy Fink writes that many young children do not realize that what they hear on the iPod or CD is a recording of actual people playing musical instruments together. Seeing and hearing actual people creating beautiful sounds is inspiring, uplifting, and magical. 

Live Music Teaches Listening Skills  

Live music teaches children how to listen. With an abundance of distraction and stimulation in our lives, being able to focus on people making music for 30 to 75 minutes helps us appreciate the act of just listening. Kids can improve their listening skills by practicing listening to the small nuances in the music. Really listening to music is not a passive activity. Active listening means that children are focused and engaged in the music, listening to the lyrics and instrumental passages, singing and dancing when appropriate, and letting their imaginations be carried away by the music.