Terri Ramsey Beavers As any parent of school-age children knows, kids have a full schedule loaded with fun activities like scouts and sports.
So you may be skeptical about adding piano lessons to the list.
You should know that learning to play the piano can provide a whole host of lifelong benefits. Discover the seven biggest benefits of piano lessons for kids below.
1. Improves Math Skills
Learning to play the piano can improve your child’s counting and math skills. This has come to be known as the “Mozart Effect,” a term made famous after studies proved that music lessons improve spatial-temporal task performance in young children.
Music and math are intrinsically intertwined, which makes it a good STEAM activity. When children understand beat, rhythm, timing and scales, they’re learning fractions, division and the ability to recognize patterns.
Another study at Brown University found that math levels improved dramatically ahead of their peers for first and second graders who learn to play music. In her summary of the study, Debra Viadero of Education Week noted:
“At the end of seven months, the students getting the specialized musical training were doing the same or slightly better in reading than their counterparts in the control group. But in math, they zoomed ahead of their peers — even though they had started out slightly behind.”
2. Improves Coordination
Children who play the piano develop the necessary hand-eye coordination to connect the notes. At times, they must be able to read the music in front of them, trusting that their hands will play the required notes. Other times, they must look at their hands to play complex movements while still being able to jump back to the written music and instinctively know where to look.
A recent study even states that piano players are changing their cortical mapping to increase finger speeds. This means people of all ages who learn the piano can improve their brain connections for improved motor movement.
3. Develops Discipline and Patience
It should be noted, learning to play the piano is hard work, especially in the beginning. That’s why it’s important to celebrate victories such as learning a new song or advancing to a higher playing level.
The good news is, your child’s enjoyment from the piano will increase as their skill level improves. It’s fun to see the pride and thrill in your child when they tackle a hard song they previously thought was too hard to play.
And as they improve, their music options open up. They may start out learning do-re-mi, but they will eventually be able to play any song they hear on the radio. That’s when it gets really exciting for kids and parents alike.
Discipline and patience play an important role in a child’s music improvement. Kids learn piano one skill at a time, with each skill building upon a previously learned principle. As a result, kids learn how to persist and stick with it.
They learn commitment and the idea that improving 1% every day will lead them to life-changing results. That’s an idea that can penetrate all aspects of their development throughout their life.
Playing an instrument requires unwavering concentration. Playing the piano on a regular basis is equivalent to daily exercise of the brain. Having this sort of brain fitness carries over to other areas of your child’s life as they are better equipped to concentrate and apply what they learn to execute tasks.
4. Improves Reading Comprehension and Language Skills
It’s comforting for parents to know that playing the piano improves their child’s reading comprehension level. When your child learns to memorize music, it exercises their reading comprehension muscles and strengthens their recall ability.
What’s more, people who play the piano consistently begin to instinctively see patterns and logical progressions in the music they are reading.
Another recent study found that playing the piano for even one month improves your child’s language skills in a variety of tests. The study found that playing the piano is more effective than regular reading. when it comes to improving your child’s language skills.
That doesn’t mean you should throw away your books and get a keyboard, but it does demonstrate the advantages of playing music, especially when added to a well-rounded learning routine.
And, by the way, if you are going to get a piano or keyboard, the Alesis Recital Pro is arguably the best keyboard for kids.
5. Enhances Creativity
Still unsure if your child should learn to play the piano? Here’s another reason to sign them up for piano lessons.
According to research, musicians can more readily access both sides of their brains. This means your child can take advantage of a more adaptive thought process and be able to store and access information more easily than others.
6. Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Playing the piano requires full concentration. It’s a great way of shutting out the world and getting lost in the moment. You’re connecting what you are seeing on the page, what you’re thinking in your head, and you’re processing it all to create beautiful music.
That singularity of purpose is a fantastic way to reduce stress and anxiety. This is a benefit your child can enjoy for the rest of their life.
In fact, it has been shown that playing the piano can aid as a natural treatment to stress, depression and mood disorders in elderly adults.
Also note that playing music in your home can create a calm and peaceful environment for the whole family.
7. Fights Against Brain Functioning, Memory and Hearing Loss
Our brain processing power declines as we age. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be that way.
A recent study shows that those who play music throughout their lives can improve their brain processing and protect against memory and hearing loss. These are all common signs of getting older must of us accept as part of the aging process.
Isn’t it wonderful to know that your child can reverse those ailments simply by doing something they love?
The Bottom Line About Piano Lessons for Kids
Piano lessons for kids are proving to increase cognitive abilities in many ways, from math, reading and language comprehension to improved creative ability and adaptive thought processes.
But the best part is that you can give your child the gift of music. It’s a talent, he or she can possess the rest of their life. They will never be bored so long as a piano is near. And the music they create will provide immense joy to themselves and others.
If you enjoyed this article, learn how doing what you love is essential for healthier living now.
After reading your post I think all kids should take piano lessons, I never thought of the benefits that may help them. All the list you enlisted here is a necessity for everyone young development. My child is playing guitar I can see development when it comes to focus. Good thing I enrolled him to a Music Academy, and I didn’t make a wrong decision. Thank you for sharing this!
My brother is thinking about having his kids take piano lessons. He would love to know that it will help them improve their hand-eye coordination. Getting a professional to teach them would be really nice. https://evergreenmusicschool.com/piano
Thanks for sharing your amazing article. I do agree with your opinions, music education is very important for kids. Music improves kid’s brain memory, confidence, ability to focus and boost their skills.
I am so glad I read this. I never knew playing the piano could help my child this much. My loves to sit with a fellow church member (whos around his age) and watch her practice. I will have to get him some lessons and see if he would be interested in playing. Thank you for sharing.