When does a child's development begin and what stages does it go through? These are the questions we ask ourselves in relation to the development of our young children.
In school, however, the question is more pertinent: what should we do to improve children's development? This active attitude, the willingness to be an actor and agent of children's development, is at the heart of the primary school teacher's profession.
One of the answers to this question is music. So what do you do if you are not a musician, music theory classes are far away and the fragility of many instruments is a major drawback?
The tongue drum, the new age instrument par excellence, is the ideal answer to this problem.
What is the tongue drum?
The tongue drum belongs to the percussion instruments. It consists of two pieces of metal, one of which has ‘tongues’ that, when struck, produce a soft and pleasant sound.
It is therefore an instrument of the idiophone family, i.e. instruments that produce sounds when struck [1]. It is therefore an instrument that children like.
Why should I prefer the tongue drum?
The tongue drum has many advantages
- it is small and sturdy
- it is easy to play
- its price is affordable
- it is possible to play several tongue drums at the same time,
We will explain each of these advantages in detail.
Why should I prefer the reed drum?
The reed drum has many advantages:
- it is small and robust
- it is easy to play
- its price is affordable
- it is possible to play several reed drums at the same time,
We will explain each of these advantages in detail.
The tongue drum is easy to play
What makes playing an instrument difficult, especially in a school class, is the farandole of wrong notes played by our apprentice musicians. This is a source of ridicule and a reason to give up the noble art of music early on.
With the tongue drum, no wrong notes are possible. Each percussion provides a clear and correct sound. It consists of eight notes spanning two octaves and does not need to be tuned.
Thus, it is an instrument that requires little musical knowledge and no special care. It is therefore perfectly suited to life in a school classroom. Children will love it even more, as they will be delighted when they manage to play without making false sounds.
The tongue drum comes at an affordable price
As an inexpensive instrument par excellence, our Tongue Drum costs only £119, while traditional metallophones and xylophones cost more than £200 each.
In addition, we offer interested schools and kindergartens to introduce language drumming in their lessons.
We will be happy to inform you about our offers at: contact@zenapan.co.uk.
It is not only the internal advantages of this instrument that make it a suitable and well-considered choice, but also the benefits that music in general has for the development of children.
Music contributes to cognitive development
School prepares our children for the future. The goal of all teachers is to give our children the best tools to adapt to the world that awaits them.
For example, playing a musical instrument for two years greatly helps children to listen despite the noise [2] or to improve their academic performance regardless of their IQ [3].
Isn't this exactly what we are looking for in our schoolchildren? Shouldn't there be, before we think of giving them knowledge, this preliminary stage, this work on the plasticity of the brain?
Music is what prepares the mind to receive a teaching, to understand it and to use it. How is this done? Through a better formulation of ideas, through a better mastery of non-verbal thinking and vocabulary [4].
So, if you want to introduce music in your school or institution, or simply expand the instrumental offer for children by diversifying the sounds, the tongue drum is the right choice. It is the great instrumental discovery of recent years.
Order a tongue drum now by clicking here.
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[1] What is Idiophonia, University of Washington.
External link : https://guides.lib.uw.edu/archives/idiophones#:~:text=Idiophone%20sind%20Instrumente%20zur%20Erzeugung,angeschlagener%20Didiophone%20und%20gezupfter%20Didiophone.
[2] Music training improves speech perception in noise: longitudinal evidence from a community-based music programme, Slater, Skoe et al, 2015, doi 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.05.026.
External link : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26005127/
[3] Music lessons and academic self-concept in 12 to 14 year olds, Degé, Wehrum et autres, 20 February 2014, doi 10.1177/1029864914523283.
External link : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1029864914523283
[4] Practising a musical instrument in childhood is associated with improved verbal skills and non-verbal reasoning, Forgeard, Winner et autres, 29 octobre 2008, doi 10.1371/journal.pone.0003566.
External link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18958177/