![]() With everything from soccer, gymnastics, or any other activity after school, you may be feeling like adding music lessons is just too much. But if you're on the fence about adding music lessons consider the benefits your child will gain just from the exposure to them. Sure, your child probably won’t be the next Mozart, but he or she may test higher in school, maintain focus longer in a conversation, even have more courage to accomplish and be more productive. How could music lessons do all that? Read on and you’ll find out. Music improves children's academic mind Quite simply, music and mathematics are very closely related. When a child learns about music they must learn about the rhythm, the beat of a song. Let’s just take the beat as an example. When you break a song down into beats, they must be divided, counted, understood, then felt and applied. Just to play or sing a song requires a multitude of complex math equations to be going on simultaneously in a child's mind. The amazing thing about music is that because it engages our emotional side, we don’t even hardly think about the fact that we are using all of these faculties when we make music. But we are. The fact that it is so subtle is the reason young children can learn complex beats and rhythms and not even struggle with it. They are focused on the emotional pleasing aspect of it rather than the complex math required to put it all together. Amazing, isn’t it? And this is to say nothing of harmony, coordination, scales, performing, and countless other elements to music that your child will learn just by exposure to music lessons. Music improves children’s emotional level Think of your favorite movie. Now think of the most dramatic scene in that movie. Okay. Are you ready? Now imagine that scene without any of the music. How do you think that scene would feel now? My guess is that it would probably fall completely flat and lose much of its emotion. For that matter, think of any commercial on TV. How many TV commercials do you know of that have no music? Next time you're watching TV, think about it. How much music is playing throughout? Music is used as a way to infuse emotion into whatever we are watching. You see, we are all impacted emotionally by music so much that we hardly even notice it. But it greatly affects us. Your children are affected by this music just as much, if not more than you are. As they get older they learn that music can calm them down, give them a sense of peace, relaxation, joy, calm, and countless other emotions. Balanced emotions is critical for a balanced life. We have even found that kids in music lessons: test better in school, have more self-confidence, have generally more success in society, and even have better emotional development. Intellectually musical training also improves a child's ability to read and understand patterns, better SAT scores, more creativity, ability to relieve stress, self-discipline, self-motivation and the list goes on and on. It’s really pretty hard to find the downside to music lessons. In fact, of the thousands of students and families I’ve talked to over the years, one thing I have never heard ANYONE say is that they regret taking and sticking with their music lessons. It is truly a gift that can last a lifetime.
1 Comment
Tetyana Zlatova
8/15/2018 01:44:32 pm
Thank you for this interesting and clear article Mr. Martin.
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AuthorDavid Martin is the Director of Happy Valley Arts Academy Archives
November 2018
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