| Finally the long awaited Olympic Games in | | | | You probably would like to know how they check |
| Vancouver have started. The future Olympic | | | | for musical abilities. Here's how. The child is |
| champions: who are they? As of today we | | | | offered to tap or clap the number of various |
| cannot list the names of all the athletes that will | | | | rhythmic patterns starting with the most simple |
| be awarded medals during these games, but the | | | | to the most complex. He/she should also show a |
| fact that most of them were musically gifted in | | | | sense of time and character of sounding music. In |
| their childhood, is beyond doubt. | | | | order to determine this, the child is offered to |
| Only a narrow-minded person or a dilettante could | | | | walk, dance, or trot, to musical pieces of different |
| believe that all a good athlete needs to be | | | | genres that vary both in rhythm and time! |
| successful are muscles of steel. And what does | | | | If your child has already passed this rigid selection, |
| one need to get strong muscles? Right, he needs | | | | the next leading criteria for forecasting his/her |
| persistent training. Any sport is very physically | | | | sports abilities at this stage, are the growth rate |
| demanding on the body. Have you ever heard the | | | | of necessary physical qualities and speed of |
| saying; might makes right? Does it work in reality? | | | | motor skills development (his/her motor learning |
| Whatever the sport might be - team, pair, or | | | | capability). Music lessons - and in this case playing |
| single - there are always specific competing | | | | musical instruments, - are of invaluable help in |
| tactics. That is, the athlete, or team, along with | | | | increasing children's motor learning capability. |
| the trainer (or group of trainers), often discuss | | | | Even if your athletic child takes music lessons only |
| concrete actions the participants will undertake | | | | for a short period of time, the fine motor skills |
| during the competition. And the tactics of both | | | | acquired during these lessons will be very |
| parties competing are looked at. | | | | beneficial. They play a huge part in the |
| A good player has to know the strengths and | | | | development of a child's right and left |
| weaknesses of their opponent in order to | | | | hemispheres of the brain. Playing musical |
| prepare, train and apply certain actions which | | | | instruments will have a positive impact on a child's |
| would make their opponent either desperate, or | | | | daily physical training and preparation for |
| have them confused for some time. | | | | competitions in general. |
| What conclusion can we make? That a good | | | | What advantages do these young "musical" |
| athlete must think well! | | | | athletes have? They are better at perceiving and |
| But, as it turns out, even that is not enough to | | | | fulfilling the trainer's tasks. They are capable of |
| get ahead in competitions for some sports! For | | | | assessing and distributing their own energy more |
| example, let's have a look at gymnastics and | | | | efficiently than other "non-musical" athletes. Their |
| figure skating. | | | | movements are more elegant, smooth and, shall |
| Selection of children in these kinds of sports is | | | | we say, timely, as such children have a better |
| very important and is an essential component of | | | | developed sense of rhythm. Also, they feel |
| the long-term sports training system. It involves | | | | character and time of music perfectly well, and |
| the selection of a certain type of children who | | | | move according to these parameters. |
| correspond to the requirements of a given sport | | | | To estimate an athletes performance say, in |
| to the greatest degree; children who are able to | | | | gymnastics, figure skating, or sports dance, the |
| show the best possible accomplishments in sport, | | | | judges mark them in accordance with a specific |
| and children who can show high reliability and | | | | scale. This scale reflects technique complexity, |
| productivity under extreme pressure and in | | | | technical performance, and artistic performance. |
| conditions of ruthless competition. | | | | And what else other than music, can develop this |
| The technique of selection looks at physical | | | | distinctive quality in your child? In fact the better |
| contra-indications, evaluation of a constitution | | | | the person's artistic qualities, the more musically |
| (body type), personality, physical and specialized | | | | gifted he is and vice versa. |
| technical training; and... musical talent! | | | | So, if you would like your child to become |
| Yes, you did read this right! It's not a misprint! | | | | successful in the sports that use musical you |
| When choosing children for gymnastics and figure | | | | should start developing his musical abilities! Help him |
| skating, it is very important to correctly evaluate | | | | her improve their ear for music, sense of rhythm |
| a child's musical abilities. Their ear for music is one | | | | and memory. You can read about how to make |
| of the most necessary criteria for achieving | | | | this happen in one of my articles about the |
| positive results in these kinds of sports. | | | | advantage of musical education for children. |