Dr Anita Collins is an award-winning educator, researcher and writer in the field of brain development and music learning. She is internationally recognised for her unique work in translating the scientific research of neuroscientists and psychologists for parents, teachers and students. In 2014 Anita wrote one of the most watched TED Education films ever made, How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain. Anita regularly presents her research on television, radio and through her scholarly and popular writings. She was the lead on-screen expert in the ABC TV series Don’t Stop the Music.
Dr Collin’s work is centred around her unique ability to translate the neuromusical research into educational contexts for a variety of audiences across the education sector. Since 2016, she has travelled around the world to interview over 100 neuroscientists and psychologists about music learning and brain development
Her latest book is called The Music Advantage: How learning music helps your child’s brain and wellbeing.
In this interview we discuss how children process sounds as music from birth and how this starts to distinguish language from others sounds over time and with the right environments. Although there isn’t a strict hierarchy of sound recognition, Anita explains how babies start to recognise familiar sounds in their environment, including care givers, but also how the environmental sounds we take for granted as adults could be detrimental for children. She also believes that Early Years settings should consider the ‘sound environment’ in the setting with the same rigour as the physical environment.
Dr Collins goes on to explain how her neuro-musical research has underscored the huge benefits in cognitive and other areas of development, including her own experience of learning to play the clarinet and dyslexia.
We finish by discussing the quote from Dr Anita’s book: ‘the next five years will see some extraordinary developments that will challenge and inform both the scientific and educational worlds.’
Links:
Collins, A (2020) The Music Advantage: How learning music helps your child’s brain and wellbeing Allen & Unwin.
https://www.anitacollinsmusic.com/
https://biggerbetterbrains.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dranitacollins/
This episode is exclusively available for Early Years TV Premium members.
Not a Premium member?
EYTV Premium gives you instant access to all 300+ of our amazing videos with a free Professional Development Certificate for every interview you watch.
And at just £12.50 per month It really is the very best value high quality professional development you can get!
Episode Includes
- Episode Certificate
