MAD Academy - develop childrens' intellectual, physical, social and emotional skills

MAD Academy...
music & dance and a whole lot of fun!

MAD Thinking

There was a time when singing and dancing were part of a child’s everyday experiences. However, with the growth of television and computer games, and of course the rapid pace of modern life, many children are growing up without having experienced the joy of being sung to; they are not introduced to the delights of nursery rhymes and children’s songs; nor do they often have access to instruments to experiment on and explore.

Similarly, physical movement is an essential part of early child development yet one which our sedentary lifestyle often inhibits. Children are growing up unused to the thrill and sense of freedom that comes from expressing themselves through movement.

Not only are they missing out on a huge source of happiness, they are missing out on a fantastic opportunity to develop their intellectual, physical, social and emotional skills.

At MAD Academy we recognize the importance of music and dance to the well being of children. We believe it should be an integral part of childhood. Not only is singing and dancing brilliant fun for children, who are naturally creative and energetic, it is really important to their development.

The Power of Music

In every MAD class we sing loads of great songs, play a wide variety of instruments, and listen to a broad range of music from across the world. This is because listening and engaging in music has enormous benefits for children:

• The neural pathways and connections that are made in children’s brain whilst engaging in music are used as they grow in all aspects of learning.
• Singing songs repeatedly helps children learn speech patterns.
• Learning rhymes through songs gives children a phonological awareness that is crucial to learning to read and write.
• Singing songs widens children’s vocabulary and putting actions and dance to songs helps them recall these new words.
• Engaging in music develops concentration, memory and listening skills.
• Exploring music and instruments stimulates their creativity.
• Songs and nursery rhymes are an important way of learning about our cultural heritage and the heritage of others.

Read more about current research into the effects of music on children, click here>>>

The Power of Dance

Movement is an integral part of every MAD Academy class, not just because all children love to be active, but also because it is vital for their physical and mental development.

• Dance develops co-ordination, physical confidence and spatial awareness.
• Physical movement strengthens the relationship between body and brain.
• Dance improves balance and body control and focuses energy (something children have lots of!!)
• Research has also shown that physical movement, particularly movement which go across the body, helps to build neural pathways across the brain which are essential for learning. All our dances are specially choreographed for each age group to maximise this learning potential!
• Clapping and dancing in time to music helps children identify patterns and facilitates understanding of numerical concepts.
• Dancing allows children to express emotions, and is particularly important when they don’t always have the vocabulary to express themselves.

Read more about current research into the effects of dance on children, click here>>>

The Power of Rhythm

As well as teaching children to move to the beat of our songs and dances, we have a dedicated section in every class (except babies) devoted to developing beat competency. Research has shown that children who are able to identify and maintain a musical beat:

• do considerably better in all academic subjects, particularly maths and literacy.
• are more competent at fine motor skills, such as writing and cutting out
• have more developed gross motor skills, such as running and skipping

Read more about current research into the effects of beat competency, click here>>>

Want to find out more?

If you are interested in the powerful benefits of music and dance and want to read more, then click here to go to our features page.