Balance Beam
My three and four year olds love the balance beam. I use it once in a while during my music and movement class. They walk across with the accompaniment of the piano while playing their own percussion instruments! The cymbals seem to be the favored choice.
I add singing to the mix in my more advanced groups as well. The children are unaware of how much they are actually learning and fun creates within the children a growing sense of accomplishment, and therefore stimulates more areas of the brain than any other activity.
In fact, while my precious students gracefully move across the balance beam, for example, neuron connections are created and numerous areas of their brains are put to work: the motor cortex, prefrontal cortex, Nucleus Accumbens and Amygdala, sensory cortex, auditory cortex, Hippocampus, visual cortex, and Cerebellum..
It is this understanding of the benefits music has upon us that has made it my passion, and has granted me balance in life. Perhaps it will allow you to find balance in yours?
Just like on the beam, we all need balance in life.
In the era of social media and net addiction, I personally find myself checking my emails more than needed. Sometimes I catch myself spending far too much time hungrily clicking through pictures and posts. I have recently joined Facebook for my company purposes and advertisement. Pretty soon after establising my account I realized how much time it consumed out of my day to view other posts and manage my website. Let alone view the other hundred and fifty or so friends on Facebook.
How do people find time for the Linkedin and Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and all other network addictions?
I often see young couples tormenting their babies with selfies and photo snaps minute after minute, forgetting what the family time is really about.
Furthermore, many parents introduce the electrical devices to children far too early. Constant clicking and swiping makes the society addicted to distraction. The internet is a "MONSTER" geared to dividing attention.
Many young parents, while with their children, easily get distracted by their phones or pads willingly accepting the loss of concentration and the loss of devoted atention to their child. We often lose our focus, which causes a fragmentation of our thoughts.
Therefore, some psychologists call us a new generation with heavily advanced ADHD.
When at work or at home we switch among tasks rapidly, we cut our effectiveness at each one of them by a significant degree. Endless information constantly popping on devices can easily overload our working memory.
Therefore, when we experience an overload of data, it is almost impossible to transfer it all to the long term memory.
How to find a balance?
I personally think that we are all capable to limit our technology consuption and fight the addiction by limiting television time or putting the phone away while interacting face to face with someone.
We can set the boundaries and limit checking emails up to three times a day; in the morning, lunchtime, and at night.
Weekends could be internet free. The world will not end if we do not click, search, browse, post, share, or like.
As for our children, the once who use technology to socialize should be spending at least an equal amount of time with friends in-person in order to maintain and improve healthy social skills. Children need an opportunity to learn conflict resolution or develop interpersonal/relationship skills by interacting with oters face to face rather than via text.
Music helps finding our balance!
Different from all the draining things around us, music energizes us. It sensitizes the brain to learn, and it helps us cope with the crazy world around us.
If we all discover our music, it will help us find the balance in our lives!
Twinkletoes Music
Dorota Xeller
