Jason and I are both big believers in the importance of early music education (so much so that we have adopted it as one of our causes). For myself music was impossible to avoid. I was fortunate enough to attend a private school that integrated the arts and academics from an early age. During school hours I was happily learning recorder and steelpan, and after school I was taking piano lessons (practical and theory) from 7.

Unfortunately, not everyone is able to have such exposure which is why it is so important for school systems to step in where parents may not have the resources. That’s why I was so happy to recently come across an online profile of Victor Prescod – Project Coordinator of Trinidad’s Pan in the Classroom Project Unit

Key Excerpt:
““….As a music educator, I am passionate about music education.  But all of the research that is done, tells you that the earlier a child begins to learn to read and write music, the better they perform across the board (academically).  The three main areas that children really need exposure to within the first six years of life – music – well the arts, but music in particular, physical education and sports, and languages.  Those three have been shown to be, the best areas in terms of developing the brain – making the connections around the neurons and synapses and so on; growing connections in the brain….”

I was however disturbed to read that although the project has now placed instruments in over 60 elementary schools in Trinidad & Tobago, there are still schools that actively do not want music in their schools and see no educational merits to its inclusion. Who could actively adopt such a stance, and why are they have been handed charge of our youngest of our citizens?

Read the whole profile here.

What do you think of early exposure to music education? Has it affected you personally in any way?