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The Zone of Proximal Development

1/19/2018

 
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Every child has to grow from what they can do into what they can't do. One of the core purposes of Musikgarten is to promote such well-rounded development.
Science has studied this process, and shows a key way we can help our children grow. We engage what Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky termed The Zone of Proximal Development.
Think of it like a traffic light:
GREEN means GO - this is what I can already do; it's easy, so I'm successful and relaxed.
RED means STOP - this is what I can't do yet, and wouldn't dare to try.
But in-between comes YELLOW - this is what I can do with help (CAUTION). this is the Zone of Proximal Development.
This is the "I come here but I can't stay" zone. I prefer to return to GO where I know I'm comfortable and successful, but here in the zone of proximal development, if I do it enough (and especially if it is rewarding and enjoyable) I grow and begin to become accustomed and accomplished.
What I CAN do grows, and then I'm ready for another zone of proximal development.
Alongside this process, the neuro-transmitter Dopamine is released when we have fun, making us relaxed and more receptive to learning new things. It is the opposite of what happens when we are fearful or under pressure: we shut down and stop responding.
This is where music can have such a powerful effect on the brain. The brain automatically and naturally responds happily to music. Music is fun and promotes the release of dopamine. Your child becomes comfortable in the zone of proximal development while the music engages the whole brain, activating all the areas we moms instinctively focus on in the quest for growth and progress. 
Musikgarten's Pathway To Musical Literacy has been designed to leverage the zone of proximal development in a fun and relaxed setting. Repetition promotes your child's confidence in the CAUTION zone and they progress to successive musical and developmental milestones such as use of language & vocabulary, motor skills & dexterity, patterns & sequencing, focused listening skills, hand/eye coordination, social interaction, emotional responses & connections, creativity, self-control, impulse control and self-expression. What a comprehensive list of benefits!

​So each week at Musikgarten you join me in the YELLOW zone, the Zone of Proximal Development, and together we watch your child grow and flourish!


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    Jane loves to share the background of the Musikgarten philosophy and pedagogy, together with the wide-ranging benefits of music in child development.

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