Learning Through Music

A Key to Faster Retention in Children

Children are often described as sponges, absorbing information with ease. Yet the ability to retain what they learn depends greatly on how that information is presented.

While many parents turn to passive methods of study, they often overlook the power of music. More than entertainment, music is a vital tool in how children absorb and remember knowledge.

Kunbi Oshonike, co-founder and CEO of Kunbi Music Company, explains that music builds the foundation for language. Language itself is sound arranged in sequence. Since most learning comes through listening, learning can’t really happen devoid of sounds and music.

Research supports this. Children raised in rich sound environments filled with music and conversation hear up to 30 million more words than those without such exposure. This advantage translates into larger vocabularies, stronger reading skills and better comprehension.

Music also creates patterns that make knowledge easier to recall. Rhythm, melody, and repetition act as powerful memory triggers. Songs serve as mnemonic devices, which is why children learn the alphabet more effectively through the ABC song than rote memorization.

Even the sing-song “parentese” voice, commonly used with babies, helps them decode and retain language more easily.

Beyond memory, long-term music training such as learning an instrument builds lasting cognitive benefits. It engages multiple parts of the brain at once, visual, auditory, and motor, strengthening connections that support memory and concentration.

Studies show that such training improves problem-solving, resilience and even changes the brain’s structure in ways that enhance information processing for life.

Importantly, children don’t have to become professional musicians to enjoy these gains. Exposure to music sharpens their ability to process complex information across fields like mathematics, science, and coding, all of which rely on logical reasoning and abstract thinking.

Music is not just an art form. It is also a powerful tool that nurtures not only academics but essential life skills. The introduction will not only enhance an interesting way of learning but also aid better retention of information.

Excerpts from Signals Lagos.