"Stress free" Learning (to be continued....)

Last time we talked about how stress free learning helps, but not meaning totally free of stress. If this sounds too confusing to you, perhaps this graph will be a good illustration of what that means:

For educators and music therapists, managing arousal level is a key tool in sustaining and promoting engagement. That is why we could engage a child with ADHD for one hour with the help of music, and in the same token, teach a three year old child piano for half an hour using the same techniques. We assess the child second to second and respond with music so to reach the optimal arousal level. Managing the arousal level is truly an essential skill to master and the key ingredient for effective learning.

Perhaps it is time to shrug off the statement that young children's attention span only lasts for minutes as you might be amazed at their focused participation once music is on!