On a cold, rainy morning, kids and their caregivers smile in a cozy room at the Royal Toronto Conservatory of Music.
They sing songs, tap rhythm sticks, and play simple games with colorful balls and small toys—all under the guidance of quiet and caring instructor Michaela Tomiska, who kindly but intentionally accompanies them with her sweet voice and gentle piano playing.
Sid Healy says his young son Charlie is “just soaking it up like a sponge”.
The Toronto parent describes the once-a-week classes as structured, research-based and thoughtful, meaning Charlie is more engaged than other classes they've tried: another music-themed class, gymnastics and soccer.
Music lessons for very young children can provide a foundation for them to one day master an instrument. But experts say engaging this age group in structured, focused music learning also brings broader cognitive benefits: activating areas of the developing brain associated with attention, memory and language development.
The conservatory's toddler classes “have a lot of different activities and they change quickly – and that works really well for him, so he's just always busy at every moment.” [while] in other classes he usually kind of gets distracted,” Healy said of his son.
“He listens a lot better and is starting to pick up a little bit of rhythm, like the beat.”
Music can teach fundamental skills
While children are naturally still dependent on caregivers in their early years, they are already learning fundamental skills—like how to listen, communicate, pay attention, remember things, or switch between tasks. It may help to do this with music.
With early music training, young children see “improvements in things like reading ability… attention to speech sounds and even vocabulary size,” said Sean Hutchins, a neuroscientist and director of research at the Royal Conservatoire of Music (RCM).
Sean Hutchins, director of research at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, talks about what children can learn in RCM's early childhood classes and the benefits of a varied song list.
“Music not only promotes musical development, but also promotes language and cognitive development,” he said.
Hutchins, who explores music learning in early childhood, he worked for ten years to develop a game music program called Smart Start.
It covers the period from infancy to kindergarten, and the teaching and content are tailored to each age group as “What a one-year-old needs from music and can learn from music is very different from what a two-year-old can learn, which is different from what a four-year-old can learn,” he said.
Just hearing and seeing someone sing or perform lights up a child's brain, so playing music can be an enjoyable way to develop cognitive abilities, says Sheila Lee, a certified music therapist in Vancouver and instructor at Capilano University. Since 2010, she has been teaching music to young children and their caregivers.
“His It's just a really natural and fun way for kids to be curious about the world, explore themselves, and then use their cognitive skills: thinking, learning, remembering, processing information, problem solving,” she said, with a particular emphasis on “fun.”
“It’s not an adult telling them, ‘OK, let’s work on these skills,’” she said.
Music therapist Sheila Lee, a longtime teacher of early childhood music classes, talks about how music influences the cognitive development of young children.
However, Lee advocate for more educators learning to teach music intentionally and using evidence-based approaches.
“We don’t just use songs randomly,” she said, noting the breadth that teacher training can cover—for example, the benefits of different tones of music or instruments, the combination of physical movement versus stillness, or the influence of major and minor keys.
Expansion goal in Canada and abroad
Having piloted the Smart Start program in Toronto, as well as the Vancouver Academy of Music and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Hutchins said he wants to see the program expand further.
Some kindergarten and music school teachers in Vancouver, Regina and Calgary have also begun teaching the program. recent $1 million donation from Calgary native RCM board member will help bring the program to underserved communities in Western Canada.
“We're really excited about making this available to everyone around the world,” Hutchins said.
While public school music budgets are often cut or diverted when boards tighten their belts, he said he thinks the curriculum can be valuable in elementary schools as well, “because we know those same principles really apply to what kids are doing there.”
However, even without formal training, Hutchins and Lee said they would like to see more music exposure with young children.
Lee encourages all adults to sing – from parents humming lullabies before bed to Alphabet Song during diaper changes, preschool teachers sing about the weather during morning circle time.
“The voice is so powerful”It’s a tool, and it’s the most flexible tool we have,” Hutchins said.
“Even if you're not a great singer, starting to work with rhythmic structure, helping kids teach them simple songs… even that can make a huge difference in kids' development.”
Laurie Mitchell, who has been regularly attending RCM's infant music classes this fall, said she has begun to notice an impact on her granddaughter Clara.
“She looks and realizes what’s going on… then she does it. It takes time,” said Mitchell, who plays the violin and believes music sparks children's imaginations.
Now Clara “definitely sings when she plays, and we're hoping that will develop into playing piano or violin or something like that,” the Toronto grandparents said. “It's always nice to see them having fun [in class] and then I’ll bring it home.”
