Why every child should take music classes & lessons!

In today’s hyper fast, digital world, kids have more options than ever for a quick fix of entertainment and distraction. Netflix, Youtube, Snapchat, and Tik Tok are constantly competing for your child’s attention. I’m not just talking about teenagers either. Research from the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood has found that kids from 2 to 8 are spending anywhere from 2.2 to 4.6 hours per day in front of screens on average. 

But how are they benefiting from all of this screen time? Although there are many educational shows and games, most of what they’re consuming is wreaking havoc on their nervous systems and their ability to focus. However, with its proven benefits in the areas of focus, concentration, and social-emotional growth, learning how to play an instrument could be what your child needs to combat the negative effects of screen time, especially during our “new normal” where remote learning results in even more screen time.

It is head-spinning how many activities are available to kids these days - youth soccer, boy scouts, ballet, swim class - and it’s important for kids to try many at a young age to see what sticks! What makes music lessons different is a child can go on to play their instrument for the rest of their lives if they wish, but even if they don’t, the benefits of learning a musical instrument at a young age will continue throughout that child’s life. That’s right! Music actually creates long lasting changes in our brains and behavior. Read on to learn how! 

Practicing music makes kids’ brains stronger

While kid’s brains are developing these days, their attention is constantly being pulled in different directions by all the different apps and distractions I outlined above. This leads to focus and concentration issues because their brains don't build strong connections between sources and information, or gain the ability to choose what to pay attention to. In other words, kids receive all these messages and data, but because they ingest so much so fast, their brain can’t do anything with that information. But when a child practices an instrument, they are training their brain to become better at addressing which stimuli are important, and which they should ignore.

Research from Harvard proves practicing and listening to “music — or at least some forms of music — acts as an ‘exercise’ that warms up selected brain cells, allowing them to process information more efficiently.” 

In a 5 year study conducted by The Brain and Creativity Institute (BCI) at USC, they showed just how impactful music can be. A group of kids from underprivileged neighborhoods in Los Angeles were given violin lessons over the course of the study, and compared to groups in a community soccer program, and those in no specific after school programs. The results were impressive: “the auditory systems of children in the music program were maturing faster than in the other children,” which is extremely telling because “this system is also engaged in general sound processing that is fundamental to language development, reading skills and successful communication.” This musical stimulation is especially important for kids between the ages of 0 and 5 when the auditory system has the most potential for growth.

Practicing music can boost academic performance

So why should your child take music classes or lessons? Well because all this brain research proves they will do better in school if they study music. University of Kansas researchers performed a study where they looked at the standardized test scores of more than 4000 students from grades two to nine. They found that kids who took music lessons scored higher on standardized tests than those who did not.

According to the NAMM Foundation, “U.S. Department of Education data on more than 25,000 secondary school students found that students who report consistent high levels of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12.”

And these benefits don’t take years to emerge either. According to a report by The Royal Conservatory in Canada, “young children taking music lessons showed dramatic improvement in their verbal intelligence scores after only four weeks of training.The gains from studying music were much greater than for other types of arts training.” And the best part is that every single child has the aptitude to benefit from musical education, they simply need the exposure at a young age to reap the benefits. 

Did you know that Albert Einstein played the violin? A boy who didn’t speak until the age of 3 and grew up to be considered one of the smartest people in modern times. Here’s what he had to say about the impact of musical learning in his life:

“The theory of relativity occurred to me by intuition, and music is the driving force behind this intuition. My parents had me study the violin from the time I was six. My new discovery is the result of musical perception.”

Practicing music reduces stress

It’s one thing for today’s kids to be distracted, but the true danger of all the technology they use is how it increases stress, anxiety, and depression.To learn more about this, visit this article from Pediatrics.  Practicing an instrument or attending a music class can be a fun way to relieve stress at any age! Music itself is a proven mood booster. When we hear music we like, our brains release dopamine, giving us a feeling of pleasure and reward, but unlike those dopamine hits kids are getting from screen time, listening to or experiencing music is a healthy way to improve your mood.

Psychiatrist Debra Shipman sums up music’s mood lifting effects nicely in her article “A Prescription for Music Lessons”: “Learning to play a musical instrument provides a peaceful retreat from the pressures of daily life. Therapeutic outcomes of playing music include better communication skills, improved emotional release, and decreased anxiety and agitation. Musical training promotes cognitive function, mental health, and a connection to others.”

Practicing music teaches resilience

Learning an instrument does come with its own unique set of challenges, but these are positive challenges that enable growth. In my classes I emphasize a growth mindset approach to learning, which teaches kids to be more resilient in the face of difficulty.

Carol Dweck, a psychologist and researcher from Stanford literally wrote the book on this subject. In her own words, “in a growth mindset students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They don't necessarily think everyone's the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it.”

When kids learn that they can overcome challenges and improve, not in spite of, but because of those challenges, they start to apply that attitude to all aspects of their lives. Through years of commitment and discipline during childhood, not only do students become more resilient to adversity as adolescents and adults, they actually prosper and rise above. 

Final Thoughts

So now that you’ve read about all of the great benefits of music education, hopefully you’re considering booking a trial lesson for your child. Not every kid will go on to study music in college or become a professional musician, and that’s ok. But with the guaranteed rewards a music education can provide, every child deserves to experience the benefits!

I only have a few spots left in my schedule, so make sure to contact me today for more information on private lessons!

In future posts I’ll go over how your child can get the most out of their lessons, but next week I’ll share my own personal teaching philosophy and you’ll learn more about how I incorporate mindfulness and mindset skills into my classes.