Music Supports Children's Brain Development From An Early Age

Illustration of children listening to music (Freepic)

JAKARTA - Music turns out to have a big impact on children's development, not only in the entertainment aspect, but also in shaping their brain function and social skills.

From an early age, listening to or playing music can be an important stimulation for children's growth and development, especially in the golden period of their lives.

Chairman of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), Dr. dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, Sp.A(K), Subspealis Kardiology Anak, said that music can activate various parts of the child's brain simultaneously and encourage the process of neuroplasticity of the brain's ability to adapt, form new connections, and strengthen neural pathways in response to new experiences and stimuli.

"Music can stimulate parts of the brain such as temporal lobes that play a role in hearing, frontal lobes to regulate emotions, to cerebellum related to coordination of movement," he explained in an online seminar on the role of music in children's development, as quoted by ANTARA.

Furthermore, he emphasized that the golden age of children's growth and development, from the age of 0 to 6 years, is a very important time to take advantage of the stimulation of music.

"In this phase, connections between neurons develop very rapidly. Music can improve connectivity, thereby strengthening the overall brain capacity of children," said Piprim.

Music is also proven to help increase the volume of gray and white matter in the brain, each of which is related to the information processing and communication function between nerve cells. When children sing or play musical instruments, they carry out cross-sensorial integration incorporating auditory, visual, and motor capabilities. This also supports the development of hand-to-eye coordination, fine and gross motor skills, as well as the rhythm of movement.

In addition to motor and sensory aspects, music also contributes to the development of language. Children who often listen to music, especially songs with lyrics, tend to have a wider vocabulary and a more complex understanding of the structure of sentences. This, according to Piprim, is because music helps hone the memory of phonological and grammar processing in the brain.

From an emotional point of view, music plays a role in helping children recognize and manage their feelings. Music presentations can stimulate the hormones of dopamine and serotonin, which are important for mood regulation. In addition, music can also strengthen children's empathy and ability to interact socially in the context of joint activities," he said.

Dr. Piprim added that music also has an important role in intervention for children with special needs. In various therapies, music has proven to be effective in helping children with developmental disorders such as autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), to cerebral society. Stimulation through music in this context has proven to increase children's focus, social response, and communication skills.

With its various benefits, music is not just entertainment for children, but educational and therapeutic tools that are able to strengthen their overall developmental foundations, both neurologically, emotionally, and socially.