
Why You Should Invest in Music Lessons for Your Child

Alex Mitchakes
September 15, 2018
3 min read
Learning to play a musical instrument like the guitar could be significantly important for the rest of your child’s life in more ways than you could have imagined. Check out these reasons for how your child could benefit!

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The Joy of Making Music: Making music is the gift that keeps on giving. As I always like to tell my students, making music with a guitar is one of the few activities in life that knows no age restrictions, or demographic restrictions. Meaning it is one of the few activities like golf, cooking, or reading that you can continue to enjoy for the rest of your life. Famously Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s great detective Sherlock Holmes used to play the violin when he was mentally stuck on a case to calm his nerves and clear his mind. Many guitarists from Eric Clapton, to Paul McCartney, to Stevie Ray Vaughan have all touted the what the wonders of playing guitar have done for them!
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Music Can Bring a Sense of Belonging: Kids needs friends who are motivated to do something asides from just hanging out. Playing a musical instrument like the guitar can bring with it an immediate pool of new friends through shared interests. Playing music with friends who enjoy what you enjoy can create a wonderful sense of comradery with a common goal that binds them together. This can also lead to a deeper sense of caring about others. It can ultimately even lead to your child getting to play in a band!
Paul McCartney said that playing guitar was one of the common interests that got him and John Lennon together in the first place. He said that music helped them develop a tight knit relationship that helped them bond over their troubled childhoods, and also begin to write songs together. Their songwriting partnership in the Beatles was all started because of their shared love of playing guitar!
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Music Can Bring an Overall Sense of Happiness: All parents want their children to be happy. When I was sick as a child, my nanny would sing Beatles songs to me while she played guitar to help me sleep. While Kathy may not have had the best voice, it didn’t matter because I still remember music being an important part of my life at a young age. As it turns out I ended up growing up with a vast musical appetite and genuine love of music. My parents provided me with guitar lessons and would take me to shows which bolstered my ability with the instrument. I started wanting to play onstage and record my own music in the studio and took these opportunities all the way into adulthood. Nurturing my talent with the guitar has brought me a lifetime of happiness and joy.
It’s interesting to note that many contestants on the popular television show “The Voice” all mention how they grew up learning to sing or play growing up at home or in church. These are two places parents can continually expose their children to great music.
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Music Lessons Can Help Develop Other Skills: According to Rice University, children who begin music lessons develop listening and cooperative skills, muscle coordination (from fretting and picking notes on instruments), gross and fine motor skills (from inventive movements and keeping the beat), self-control, concentration skills and develop memory. Playing a musical instrument like the guitar can also foster a child’s imagination by lighting up key areas of brain activity. Think about how many times listening to a certain song have taken your mind to different places. The same can and should happen for children and is important in their development! Playing guitar can also develop self confidence and a sense of accomplishment after learning new songs or techniques.
Asides from the stated social benefits, students who learn how to play a musical instrument like guitar or participate in various music programs, such as high school band, typically have higher test scores as well as cognitive development. A U.S. Educational Development found that those who reported constant participation with instrumental music showed higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12. This was shown to be true regardless of socioeconomic status!
With so many great reasons for your child to enroll in guitar lessons, you’ll probably want to get started right away! Please visit my website www.mitchakesmusic.com for more details about getting started now!
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