Outdoor musical instruments in a playground provide children with a safe and fun outlet to explore their emotional and creative expressive through music.
The benefits of musical instruments and exposure to music from young age are well-known with research indicating the brain of young musicians works differently to those that don’t engage.
According to Dr Eric Rasmussen, chair of the Early Childhood Music Department in the Peabody Preparatory of The Johns Hopkins University: “There’s some good neuroscience research that children involved in music have larger growth of neural activity than people not in music training. When you’re a musician and you’re playing an instrument, you have to be using more of your brain”
Similar studies across the globe have also demonstrated that exposure to music and musical education can help children improve their reading and language capability as well as their motor skills, social skills and emotional and cognitive development.
Musical instruments on the playground permit them to combine physical and mental work where they can learn to recognise and memorise patterns.
These are crucial to a healthy and well-rounded development.
Access to the joy of music should be available to all children, but unfortunately with demanding curriculums and budget cuts, not all schools can provide pupils with a comprehensive musical education.
Outdoor musical instruments in the playground are one.
Everyone knows children love to make noise, so giving them the opportunity to play an instrument will always be exciting. Music can help to nurture their confidence, creativity and self-expression.
Music can be a great tool for healing and making us feel happy. Children that may be struggling with anxiety, stress or general upset can benefit from the emotional healing of music in an environment they feel comfortable in.
Research has shown that children are spending less time outdoors, particularly while school, but outdoor musical instruments can change these statistics. Music lessons can be taught outdoors, providing children with an opportunity to learn and have fun whilst getting some fresh air and much needed Vitamin D
Having a range of outdoor musical instruments in a playground means that children can explore and experiment with a range of sounds.
Unlike in a traditional classroom setting, outdoor musical equipment allows for more freedom and unstructured music playing where children can be creative and use their imagination to come up with new and imaginative sequences and sounds.
Often using musical equipment in classrooms is not practical. In such confined spaces children can struggle to focus with so much noise around them and it can become difficult for them to block out background sound. Playgrounds provide an environment that gives children more open space to experiment and be as loud as they want to without disturbing other classes.
Musical instruments on the playground can encourage children to socialise and have positive interactions with peers while they play, experiment and have fun with the equipment. The playground itself is an environment that is specifically for social and group play where children come up with games and rules that can include these instruments.
Outdoor musical instruments nurture a culture where there is no rules with musical improvisation. Children can focus on the creativity and expression using simple musical instruments that can produce interesting and beautiful sounds.
Music can be extremely beneficial to children’s cognitive development and reasoning skills. Listening to and engaging with musical instruments helps to enhance memory, organisation skills, improve time management and teaches persistence.
Outdoor musical instruments are the perfect way to create a more inclusive playground. Musical instruments in playgrounds can be played by multiple children at the same time as they are designed to be engaged with from different angles and heights. Children of all abilities can benefit from and be included with such equipment.
“I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning”- Plato.
Outdoor musical instruments combine the benefits of the playground with unique cognitive, emotional and physical development opportunities for children of all abilities.
Music allows children to be healthier, happier and be given a positive developmental boost that will help them throughout their educational career and throughout life.
At Playground Imagineering, we offer a vast range of both visually and audibly striking outdoor musical instruments.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the musical playground equipment we have to offer, or would like more information, feel free to get in touch with our team today on 01925 648959 or email us at sales@playgroundimagineering.co.uk
