| Piano lessons provide a wide range of benefits to | | | | Piano lessons help children set specific goals and then |
| young children. Here are my "Top Five." | | | | work towards reaching these goals. Each new piece |
| 1. Piano lessons help preserve and develop children's | | | | of music a student learns requires a specific set of |
| natural creative abilities. | | | | skills and playing habits. To achieve these goals |
| The best analogy of how children learn through music | | | | students must learn to stay focused and study each |
| that I've found is from Donald Kroodsma's book "The | | | | note, measure and phrase to understand how to play |
| Singing Life of Birds." Every songbird can be identified | | | | the song. In doing this students learn to think critically |
| by the unique song it sings, but a baby bird has to be | | | | and creatively as they decide how to make the music |
| taught by its parents to sing the family song. Baby | | | | come to life. Staying focused over time develops good |
| birds, like humans, just 'babble' at first. Mother birds sing | | | | study habits that become natural. This is important |
| the family song over and over to the baby birds as | | | | because learning to practice good habits that match |
| they try to repeat it back. At first, the baby birds are | | | | their goals shows children how to make their dreams |
| only able to sing back one or two notes, but they | | | | come to life! |
| gradually learn to sing the whole song. And birds with | | | | 4. Piano lessons help children develop courage. |
| two voice boxes even learn to sing their own harmony | | | | It takes courage to face challenges without letting our |
| parts! Once baby birds learn the family song, they can | | | | anxiety and worries get the best of us. Piano lessons |
| start developing their very own songs. Similarly, I | | | | help students learn to accept challenges such as |
| encourage students to compose their own music after | | | | learning a difficult song, as well as to perform pieces in |
| developing needed skills. In my experience, young | | | | front of teachers, friends, and families at recitals. |
| children in piano are a lot like baby songbirds! | | | | Lessons also help kids learn the importance of keeping |
| 2. Piano lessons help children perfect their natural | | | | a positive perspective despite difficulties. Learning to |
| learning processes. | | | | handle uncertainty and stress in a way that minimizes |
| Music is a language, and children are programmed to | | | | anxiety and maximizes creativity is a valuable life tool. |
| absorb languages. Studies have shown that kids can | | | | We all need practice at this! |
| most easily learn new languages when they start at a | | | | 5. Piano lessons teach children to persevere. |
| young age. Piano lessons help children develop the | | | | A key part of accomplishing anything difficult is not to |
| very same skills needed to accomplish language arts, | | | | give up easily. As children grow, piano lessons teach |
| like reading. In piano, students learn how to follow | | | | kids to try and then try again if they don't initially |
| directions, scan written materials, think critically, create | | | | succeed. However, as Yoda explained to Luke |
| solutions and translate writing into action. For example, | | | | Skywalker, the objective isn't just trying itself, but |
| students must look at each note, measure and phrase | | | | accomplishing the desired goal -- "Do or do not, there is |
| and decide how to play each note to make the music | | | | no try!" Piano lessons teach students how to adjust |
| come to life. Many children (including my own sons) | | | | their expectations if they can't initially master a tough |
| have become much better readers after starting piano | | | | song or skills, and to tackle these big goals by taking |
| lessons. Further, piano lessons involves an interplay of | | | | small incremental steps. In the end, just like the baby |
| both right and left brain activity that stimulates neural | | | | songbirds that eventually learn to sing, students learn |
| development. | | | | that they can accomplish great things and reach their |
| 3. Piano lessons help children learn how to stay | | | | dreams through careful and consistent effort. |
| focused and achieve goals. | | | | |