Whether it’s the lullaby your parents sang to you as a child, that concert you still remember like it was yesterday, or the 8 measures of “Baby Shark” you can’t get out of your head, music plays an important role in everybody’s life. All things considered, it deserves awareness on its amazing superpowers. Music has many benefits for our youth. “Music stimulates the parts of the brain that are related to math, reading, and emotional development.”
Benefits of Music
Intellectual
A great deal of research proves the academic impact music can have. Young people who took a period of music a week for about 30 weeks show significantly increased IQ levels, as well as better marks in standardized testing. Nearly 100% of past winners in the prestigious Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology (for high school students) play one or more musical instruments. Students involved in or playing instrumental music over the middle and high school years perform better and show higher levels of math proficiency by grade 12. Music also provides a boost for memory. Reading music, or even just listening to music, helps your brain recognize and remember patterns.
Emotional
It is evident that music at camp has mental emotional health benefits as well. Music decreases depression and anxiety just from listening to music. Music has been proven to enhance mood, increase good feelings, and improve emotion regulation. These are all powerful indicators that music provides one of the best holistic approaches to improving mental health.
Social
Music provides a feeling of acceptance from listening to or playing a favorite song. Playing music together with a group creates a powerful bonding experience. Most interpersonal relationships, for example dates, concerts, dances, and parties are stimulated by music. Not surprisingly, many experts consider music a ‘social lubricant.’ Music enhances confidence in a people, allows self-expression, and gives everyone a chance to expand creativity.
Music at Camp
Camps are retreats for young people to grow and learn, both emotionally and socially. It is where they discover themselves independently. After two years of upheaval, summer camps this year will undoubtedly face a greater need to help children communicate, socialize, and make new friends. Music is a great vehicle to do so.
Fun
First of all, camp is a fun place, and music is a really fun activity! Few pleasures in this world compare to the high you feel from letting your soul flow through your body through singing, dance, playing an instrument, improvisation and music-making.
Diversity
Camp often provides young people new opportunities to experience new groups of people. They meet people from all over the country or even the world with various abilities, cultures, and languages. Music is a common denominator that unifies across all. Music has long been used to bring people together. To put it differently, music transcends nations and cultures. Music is often referred to as the universal language.
Therapy
When youth first arrive at camp, it can feel like a scary place. It may bring on homesickness, anxiety, and feelings of loneliness. One way that camps can help to alleviate these feelings is through music therapy. Music therapy benefits cognitive, emotional, and social issues as well as the physical needs of people. It has proven to be an effective way to help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. It can provide a sense of inner calm to people, especially young people. According to many new research studies, this positive effect seems to be multiplied when music therapies are engaged within outdoor environments. What better outdoor environment than camp?!
Music at camp helps young people develop peer relationships, communicate their feelings effectively, and connect with nature. In addition, it encourages curiosity and helps young people learn how to be creative. Significantly, these are all valuable transferable necessary life skills. At Jameson Camp we help young people “get outside and grow inside.” We impact the lives of young people year after year since 1928. Sign up for our day camp, overnight camp, mini overnight camp, or our PACK leadership camp.
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