Family LIFE
Giving Your Child
the Keys to a Successful Life:
5 Long-Term Benefits of Music Lessons
BY KATE KAYAIAN
S
omehow, it’s already the beginning of another new
school year. With summer vacation fast becom-
ing a hazy memory, the time has come to buckle
up and figure out once and for all which activities your
kids are going to take part in. Choosing the right thing
for your child can be overwhelming. Sailing? Swimming?
Gymnastics? Art? Ballet? Football? Brownies? All of the
above? There are certainly pros to all of them, but for
all of the wonderful programs Bermuda has to offer its
young people, few have proven time and time again to
give children such profoundly beneficial keys to long-term
success as music lessons. From the cradle to the corner
office, people who studied music have had a leg up on the
competition. Here are the 5 most life-enhancing benefits
that we know of.
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BERMUDA PARENT MAGAZINE
It Boosts Brain Power and Academic Ability
From simply having better study habits than most to scoring
higher on standardized tests and getting better grades on
report cards, study after study has shown a correlation between
a child’s level of musical training and their overall academic
performance. A recent study published in the National Acad-
emy of Sciences just found that music therapy even helped to
develop the brains of premature infants at a faster rate! There
is a clear transformation in our brain wiring that occurs from
studying music. Playing an instrument requires the brain to
process multiple senses at once. Your eyes are reading the
notes, your fingers are feeling the instrument and forming
the correct position to play those notes. You are hearing the
sounds that come out and adjusting all of it at a constant rate.
Furthermore, researchers have found that learning an instru-
ment helps learning and speech processing in children with
dyslexia, and helps to guard against dementia later in life. One
fact that all of the research agrees on: the earlier a child begins
with music, the more pronounced the brain benefits.
It instills Important Character Traits
The self-directed daily practicing that is required teaches
discipline, patience, and the setting of high standards. Con-
certs and recitals give opportunities to set goals and develop a
strong work ethic in order to achieve those goals by a certain
deadline. As they are learning how to express themselves
(and the feelings of the composer) through their music,
they are simultaneously discovering the power of empathy,