EXPOSING babies and young children to music has a positive impact on their learning, researchers from Northumbria University will tell a conference this week.
In addition to enhancing their musical development, it appears to have a positive impact on their social development, as well as literacy and numeracy.
The conference in Newcastle tomorrow will reveal the interim findings on a three-year study, funded by Youth Music, involving 750 children from birth to five-years-old in the North-East and Great Yarmouth.
The research is being conducted by Jim Clark, head of pre and school learning and Helen Taylor, head of initial teacher training, at Northumbria University.
Funding has allowed trained musicians to engage the children in a range of musical activity including singing, playing musical instruments and listening to music.
Ms Taylor said: " Music is not always taken seriously and is often perceived as a low-status subject. But this research goes a long way towards proving the need for a sustained programme of musical activity in schools."
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