Health & Wellbeing

Mental health and wellbeing column: early years outcomes

Kicking off our second year of mental health and wellbeing columns with a new set of partners, Emma Hutchinson from Music House for Children explores music and wellbeing in the early years.
 Emma Hutchinson at Music House for Children facilitating the box activity
Emma Hutchinson at Music House for Children facilitating the box activity - Courtesy Music House for Children

Our hearing is fully formed some six weeks before birth. Even being born is musical! The cacophony of internal sounds experienced pre and during birth is later replaced by undulating, rhythmical patterns of a parent's voice and movement as baby absorbs a new world. These continued experiences build and strengthen early development, including being sociable and communicative, being independent, spontaneous, creative, and content. In a time of increasing mental health referrals, the enabling and sharing of pedagogical understanding and practice is more critical than ever before to support children's socio-emotional needs, as well as musical development.

Music educators come from many different educational backgrounds and have many different skillsets. They may have studied community music, undertaken an MA in music, studied music then gone on to do a PGCE, a Certificate in Music Education, or specialised in music therapy. However, a music educator's undisputed skills and know-how will fall at the first hurdle if their beneficiaries are struggling with mental health issues. As a shared experience, music can do much to ignite communicative pathways that then allow learning to flourish.

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