Did you know there have been numerous studies showing the benefits of music lessons? According to this article, " 'Music improves cognitive and non-cognitive skills more than twice as much as sports, theater or dance.' [A study] found that kids who take music lessons 'have better cognitive skills and school grades and are more conscientious, open and ambitious.' "
In a time when instant gratification is woven into our society and arts funding is getting pulled every day from our schools, it becomes necessary to seek out musical activities to fill these voids. LA School of Music can help you find an excellent teacher who works well with you and your child. Music lessons should never be boring - our teachers are vetted for their knowledge, experience, and personality.
Music Lessons encourage:
Literacy
Learning how to read music is like learning how to read a new language. New symbols with meanings are put together to form songs and pieces. According to this article, literacy is more than the ability to read and write. "A literacy program should emphasize the development of [the] auditory processes, and these are also stressed in a music program. With phoneme awareness, children will learn how sounds come together to form words, enabling them to make sense of the sounds that they hear. In music, this would translate to an awareness of pitches and how they form a musical line."
Math Skills
Knowing basic math is helpful when parsing down note rhythms. In fact, if you know any math at all but have never studied music, if I told you that a whole note has 4 beats, could you guess how many beats are in a half note (hint: what is half of a whole note) ?
And vice a versa, if you are a very young beginning music student, you learn right away that one quarter note equals one beat. If you have four quarter notes, how many beats do you have? (Hint: 4)
Check out the breakdown of a whole note into sixteenth notes in this note rhythm chart:
Problem Solving
Everyone has a different set of strengths and weaknesses. While someone might be a more "technical" player, another may be more "musical." In either case, a student must learn how to grow upon his or her skill set. The musical player may need to parse out a challenging run of sixteenth-notes more slowly, while the technical player may need to slow down in order to make a phrase more musical. Most young students need to grow their musical bank and ear by listening to recordings of accomplished musicians.
A successful student will need to learn how to identify "problem" spots in their playing and figure out how to fix it like a detective. Most young students want to play what is already easy for them. A great teacher can help them learn how to "problem solve" difficulties in their music.
Team Work
Learning a duet with someone or playing in the school band both require a give-and-take. They require learning how to listen to one another, how to adjust, how to tune, how to blend. This all fosters collaboration and team work. It's easy to point fingers and blame someone else for being out of tune, but often the results of the performance are much better if everyone meets in the middle.
These experiences also lead to greater empathy and exposure to different perspectives, setting children up for a life of collaboration. School bands often travel for shows, and college music students often study abroad, leading to a richer life experience and greater understanding of others.
Perseverance
While some people might show a natural talent for music, no one is born knowing how to play an instrument. Even the most "gifted" have to practice. That means taking weeks or months to learn new pieces, with the guidance from a talented teacher, and years of studying an instrument. Even accomplished concert musicians will never stop learning.
Confidence
When a child learns a musical instrument, she learns a skill she can be proud of. When paired with the right teacher, her progress will be nurtured and shaped until she can confidently perform on stage in front of family and friends. No one completely outgrows the performance jitters, but the more and more you practice performing, the better you get at handling it. These coping skills can transfer to any high-pressure occupation, whether it be leading a work meeting, performing open-heart surgery, or presenting a lecture.
The benefits of music lessons are overwhelming. If you've been thinking about signing your child up for music lessons, contact us now! After all, no adult has ever regretted taking piano lessons as a kid!