Thursday, July 15, 2021 by Chrissy Misso | making music

Listening to music from a young age has so many benefits, but when you add learning an instrument, those EXPLODE 💥!

I have a list of 10 ways your child (preschool, elementary, middle school, high school ... all ages) will benefit, but it could go on -- I witness these developments in my students week-to-week and year-to-year!

Here are my top reasons you should sign your kid up (we start teaching piano at 3!) with a little on how we achieve some of these things in class!

• Music lessons develop the skills that provide a firm foundation for learning.
  • read on... 😉 

• 📚 Improve reading skills, increase vocabulary and language ability.
  • Music is built on an alphabet, uses expressive words from other languages, and requires students to display an understanding of the directions.
• 👂 Develop aural awareness, listening, abstract thinking and imagination.
  • We practice listening and interpretation by listening to recorded music and each other.
    • What does that piece make you think of? Did you expect those sounds based on the title?
  • We need to follow the beat and figure out where silences and long notes fit together!
  • Students also work on recognising specific types of motion and harmonies.
• 🧠 ⏰ Increase memory skills, builds concentration and attention span.
  • Learning and practicing take time, when you help your child build the habit of practicing at home, they learn priorities and how to make the most of their time.
    • Even kids with ADHD can benefit!
• 👧🏻👦🏽 Build social skills, self-discipline, patience and improve behaviour.
  • We learn music history and introduce music from other cultures -- this helps kids find ways to connect with pupils of different backgrounds.
  • Students are also able to play songs together, which helps them develop communication with their partners and improve on their side of a "malfunction"
• 🧠🔣 Stimulate and strengthen the same part of the brain needed for maths and reasoning.
  • Music is math! Really! Students learn how notes relate to each other when they are held for different lengths.
    • Remember those aural skills we mentioned above?
  • As students progress, music theory deepens the number relations with intervals and chords.
• ✋ 🤚 Develop fine motor skills needed for writing and other delicate tasks.
  • We get all those fingers involved in the music! Students will learn how to get fingers operating independently to play different notes and sequences.
  • We are working on coordination -- each note on the page needs to become a sound in a specific way!
• 😉☺️ Music performance teaches kids to deal with nerves and stressful presentation situations like interviews.
  • Music boosts confidence!  As students share their progress with family, friends, each other, and their teacher they get more comfortable being the focus!
  • Preparing for mishaps and training to push through mistakes helps reassure kids and enables them to think on their feet.
• 📈🧐 Children who have music lessons score higher in their SATs writing, maths & science and higher grades in general.
  • Playing an instrument utilises both sides of the brain -- you are being creative yet following math and science!
• 😄🙃 Build confidence and emotional growth and make a happier child.
  • Children who play an instrument have an outlet for creativity and their emotions -- this is especially important when they haven't yet figured out how to verbalise their emotions or, as the get older, are afraid to talk about some of them!

Now, get your child into a music class ASAP! 😉 

Just looking at the little kids' options, we have: 📚 🎶 Music & Stories for toddlers and preschoolers, 🎹 piano for ages 3 and up, 🎸 ukulele for ages 4 and up!

Older students can start 🎻 violin, viola, or 🎙 voice as well!

Need more research?  Check out these links from other teachers and experts:

12 Benefits of Music Education from Children’s Music Workshop

https://kidsguitar.info/benefits-of-music-education/

Music and Movement – Instrumental in Language Development from Early Childhood News

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/reasons-to-play-a-musical-instrument/

The Benefits of Music Education from The Royal Conservatory

https://moderntonestudios.com/blog/10-reasons-every-child-should-play-musical-instrument/

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