Guest Post: How Music Lessons Can Help Your Child

You may already know that nutrition plays an important role in the brain development of children, but may not be aware of other factors that contribute to development and thinking skills.

A number of recent studies have linked music education at early ages to positive impacts on brain development in children. Concordia University’s professor Virginia Penhune conducted a study, the findings of which revealed that children between ages of six and eight showed deep-rooted changes in the structure of brain and motor abilities when musical training was given to them. The end result showed that children who were given lessons had more accurate timings in case of motor skills, even after two days of teaching.

If you want your child to learn music, there are resources out there for researching teachers and training across several states. TakeLessons.com even offers music lesson reviews so you can read about the actual experiences different students have had with their teachers. This is a helpful way of finding the right teacher for your child.

Here’s the list of options you can consider for your child:

1.  Piano lessons

Dr. Frances Rauscher from University of Wisconsin and Gordon Shaw from University of California conducted a study on preschoolers who received piano lessons. They found out those preschoolers who undertook the lessons had a 34% higher score in spatial-temporal reasoning test, which is the function used by the brain to understand concepts related to science, math and engineering.

Piano lessons require hard work and regularity on your child’s part. As your child learns how to play and masters the songs on piano keyboard, his self-esteem is also going to receive a boost. His creative and critical skills will also develop as piano music interpretation requires a great deal of focus.

2.  Violin lessons

Violin lessons are a good option to consider for your child particularly if you travel a lot, because a violin is portable while taking a whole piano from one place to another can be difficult and expensive at the same time. Furthermore, there are no amplifiers or other form of accessory attachments required, so the cost of buying this equipment for the lesson will be on the lower side.

Playing violin will develop your child’s skill to learn musical notes and symbols which can also be applied to other instruments. The child may suffer tiredness in arms and shoulders after playing, but most instructors teach children stretching and warm up exercises. Studies also suggest that playing violin may raise the IQ level of children.

3.  Recorder/flute lessons

Younger children can start taking descant recorder lessons as it will help them in personal development. Children who’re above 8 years of age can start with a flute. Flute requires children to be strong, tall and show a bit of maturity, which may be difficult for children below 8.

Both recorder and flute will help to develop the hand eye coordination of your child. You may consider a flute with open holes if your child really wants to master this instrument. They come with plastic plugs for children, which can be removed as the child progresses. This also removes the need of buying a separate flute with open holes.

Your child may also develop multiple musical skills if he/she enrolls in multiple music lessons rather than a single one. You can also consult the teacher before deciding to make a purchase of musical instruments required for the class.