5 Reasons Why Your Kids Should Take Music Lessons
We get it. You’re an awesome parent who wants what’s best for your child, but between picking them up from school, helping with homework, and taking them to soccer practice, you don’t know if you can take on another activity. Before writing off music lessons completely, though, you may want to read the long-term benefits music could have on your child. Trust us on this one, it may be worth the extra hour a week.
1. Music sets up kids for academic success
You may have heard before that music and math go hand in hand, but do you know why? In music, children must learn to divide, create fractions, and recognize patterns in beat, rhythm, and scales.
Music doesn’t just help with math, either. Memorizing and reciting songs improves both short and long-term memory, which will carry over into academics. Music can also introduce children to physics through harmonic and sympathetic vibrations.
Researchers at the Boston Children’s Hospital performed an experiment where they gave children MRIs and found that those who had taken at least two years of private lessons showed enhanced cognitive control, with better information retention and behavior regulation. Cool, right?
2. There may be a link between college admissions and music
The National Association For Music Education said, “On the 2012 SAT, students who participated in music scored an average of 31 points above average in reading, 23 points above average in math, and 31 points above average in writing.”
3. It’ll make them better at sports
Harvard researchers Found that children who received musical training for over three years had more refined and developed motor skills than those who didn’t take music lessons.
String instruments, like the violin and piano, can help with hand-eye coordination (a necessary skill in most sports!). These instruments simultaneously demand different actions from your right and left hands – it’s like rubbing your head and patting your tummy at the same time.
4. Children who take music lessons are more ~*sensitive*~
Ever hear a song that makes you really happy, or want to cry? Music students are familiar with that feeling, too! Studies have shown that children who take music lessons are more emotionally attuned and developed. They also have higher self-esteem and are better at coping with anxiety, because they’re used to turning constructive criticism from teachers into a positive change.
5. Music builds character
Like sports, learning an instrument develops self-control, problem solving, perseverance, and discipline. Taking group lessons or joining a band also require teamwork, communication, and patience – don’t believe us? Try playing a song with five other people at different speeds.
