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Why Your Child Should Take Piano Lessons

Friday, October 30, 2020 by April Davis | Uncategorized

Piano lessons were once a standard part of a child's education. Things change and increasingly parents have more choices available to supplement their child's education. Here are 6 reasons why piano lessons are still an amazing opportunity, if not the best choice, for your child.

1. The study of piano teaches your child a practical skill they can always utilize. Your child will be able to teach beginner piano to neighborhood students while they are in high school and expand their teaching while in college. Whether your child chooses piano teaching for their career or not, the option is always there and the pay is better than babysitting or working at a local restaurant or retail establishment. Musicians can also earn money playing for churches and playing gigs at restaurants, malls, and bars.

2. The study of piano can win scholarships for your child to achieve their higher education aims. Working with a teacher who belongs to MTNA (Music Teacher's National Association) and other guilds allows your child to participate in contests to win money and scholarships. Additionally, auditioning for schools can lead to scholarship opportunities. Their are private scholarships available for pianists even if their major is not music related. 

3. Piano is the best first instrument to learn. If you have a child who aims to play another instrument, piano is the best place to start. Little fingers can manage piano keys easier than guitar or violin strings. It doesn't require the lung capacity that brass and woodwind instruments need. But, it does teach children to read both music staffs, bass and treble clef, which prepares them to play any other instrument: many of which only utilize one or the other. It also helps them develop finger independence and strength which is key to playing any other instrument. The study of piano also lends itself to music theory more comprehensively than any other instrument. Piano can develop perfect pitch or even something near perfect pitch which can help any musician join in on queue in an ensemble and create clearer tonality in any singer. 

4. The study of piano has been proven by neuroscientists to positively impact brain development. These improvements can be seen at any age, but are most effective when started young. It creates more connections between the right and left hemispheres of the brain which leads to faster processing of information, more balanced right/left brain strengths, and ambidextrousness. 

Professional musicians have been found to have greater than average gray matter in motor, auditory, and visuospatial areas, differences in white matter architecture, stronger asymmetry of the planum temporale, and increased corpus callosum (Schlaug et al., 1995; Schlaug, 1995; Schmithorst and Wilke, 2002; Gaser and Schlaug, 2003). These anatomical differences are thought to be due to long-term acquisition and training of musical skills. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that there is a strong correlation between high musical activity during the lifespan and preservation of non-verbal memory, naming, and executive function (Hanna-Pladdy and MacKay, 2011).

5. Playing piano releases endorphins, the hormone responsible for our feeling of joy. It can help pianists work through any emotion and express any feeling. The positive effects on the brain mirror meditation or running long distances. 

6. The structure of music teaches your child complex math and raises their IQ. Students of piano score better in Math, Science, and English than their non-musical peers. The language of piano is Italian and Latin roots and pre-fixes which helps with the SATs and other standardized tests.

Now you know how beneficial piano lessons are to your child, let me tell you why Davis Piano Studio is the best place for your child to learn in Round Rock, TX, and the surrounding Austin area! My studio has the most advanced setup in the Austin Area: the best equipment and learning tools, low-stimulus environment, one-on-one support, recording studio, and supplemental technology. All books and supplemental materials are included and provided at key developmental times. The waiting area is in full view of the teaching space and parents are able to attend all lessons. As an instructor, I am fully available to students outside of lesson times. Students do not need to wait until their next lesson if they are struggling with some concept or music piece as I can be reached by text and video call at all times. I have a passion for students with ADHD and ASD. I work closely with parents and therapists to achieve the best results with these students. 

Schedule your first free lesson now.

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