The Benefits of Music Lessons

I've often heard it said by many an adult, "Wow! I wish I had learned to play the guitar!" or "My mom put me in piano when I was a kid, but I didn't like it, so she took me out. Ughh, I sure wish she MADE me stick with it!" Ask just about any adult, and if they don't play an instrument, they definitely wish they knew how to play at least one.

Let's face it, most kids who take piano lessons won't grow up to be a concert pianist or the music director on Beyonce's "old school" tour (yep, her music will be considered "old school" by the time today's kids become adults), but even without aspirations of becoming a professional musician, taking music lessons has its advantages, according to one music researcher. Here they are...

Self - Discipline

Children learn how to structure their time at home to prepare for their weekly lessons. The simple use of a practice chart teaches children to set aside time for practicing and to track their progress towards a long-term goal. It is a very kid-friendly way of learning how to plan ahead.

Develops a Higher IQ

You are probably saying, “What? Really, music lessons can increase my child’s IQ?” Yes, there is evidence to suggest that on the whole music lessons improve general intelligence. A study by E. Glenn Schellenberg of the University of Toronto published in Psychological Science shows that a group of students that took music lessons improved their IQ scores more than a control group that took no music classes. MUSIC MAKES YOU SMARTER!

Work Ethic

As students learn a difficult piece of music to perform for a concert, competition or evaluation, they must work hard to memorize and to develop the fine motor skills necessary to be successful. This type of conscientiousness is highly correlated with success in school and life.

Reduce Stress

A short-term and long-term benefit, music has been shown to reduce stress by triggering biochemical stress reducers according to an article in U.S. Today. Music helps us to relax and forget about our troubles for awhile. The act of actually playing music accentuates these effects.

Builds Self Esteem

A study by Costa-Giomi published in the Psychology of Music investigated the effects of three years of piano instruction on children’s self-esteem. Children in the study were divided into two groups: piano instruction weekly for three years and no music instruction. Both groups had similar levels of self-esteem at the beginning of the study. The researcher found that the children who completed three years of piano instruction had a significant increase in self-esteem while the children who did not participate in piano instruction or dropped out of piano instruction did not have an increase in self-esteem.

With so many awesome reasons to enroll your children in music lessons, you’ll probably want to get started right away! Please visit our website – decaturmusicacademy.com or give us a call at 678-667-4643 to register today!