THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT IN SELECTED PRESCHOOLS IN OWODE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

Abstract

This study is set out to determine the role music plays in early childhood development. Music has been found a very useful tool to strengthen the human brains and activate the cognitive, affective, psychomotor skills and the learning abilities of young children. This study is very particular about how much preschools in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, Ogun State, and use music as a tool in teaching other subjects. Since this study is qualitative in nature, the primary data for this study were gathered through one-to-one and virtually interviews methods.Findings revealed that almost all the schools in Obafemi Owode L.G.A. appropriate music for diverse reasons. They all use music during their morning assemblies to activate the brains of their pupils and ensure their mental alertness of their pupils, during breaks and recreation, schools social gatherings. Some engage music as a classroom subjects while some engage music as a method of teaching other subjects such as basic mathematics, English language and daily morals at the preschool sections. A second finding revealed too that using music as teaching method is very effective at the preschool section because it helps children to focus, it reduces the time required for learning any academic task and also helps them to store up all the information in their long-term memory. The basic challenges with the use of music a method of teaching is that many childhood educators who teach in preschools have no music training and most schools lack of basic music facilities to aim teaching. To make music a viable method for teaching other subjects, this study recommends that music should be included in the curriculum for the training of early childhood educators at least to equip them with the basic knowledge required to make and create music at least for their classroom use.