Piano lessons provide a wide range of benefits to young children. Here are my "Top Five."
1. Piano lessons help preserve and develop children's natural creative abilities. The best analogy of how children learn through music that I've found is from Donald Kroodsma's book "The Singing Life of Birds." Every songbird can be identified by the unique song it sings, but a baby bird has to be taught by its parents to sing the family song. Baby birds, like humans, just 'babble' at first. Mother birds sing the family song over and over to the baby birds as they try to repeat it back. At first, the baby birds are only able to sing back one or two notes, but they gradually learn to sing the whole song. And birds with two voice boxes even learn to sing their own harmony parts! Once baby birds learn the family song, they can start developing their very own songs. Similarly, I encourage students to compose their own music after developing needed skills. In my experience, young children in piano are a lot like baby songbirds!
2. Piano lessons help children perfect their natural learning processes. Music is a language, and children are programmed to absorb languages. Studies have shown that kids can most easily learn new languages when they start at a young age. Piano lessons help children develop the very same skills needed to accomplish language arts, like reading. In piano, students learn how to follow directions, scan written materials, think critically, create solutions and translate writing into action. For example, students must look at each note, measure and phrase and decide how to play each note to make the music come to life. Many children (including my own sons) have become much better readers after starting piano lessons. Further, piano lessons involves an interplay of both right and left brain activity that stimulates neural development.
3. Piano lessons help children learn how to stay focused and achieve goals. Piano lessons help children set specific goals and then work towards reaching these goals. Each new piece of music a student learns requires a specific set of skills and playing habits. To achieve these goals students must learn to stay focused and study each note, measure and phrase to understand how to play the song. In doing this students learn to think critically and creatively as they decide how to make the music come to life. Staying focused over time develops good study habits that become natural. This is important because learning to practice good habits that match their goals shows children how to make their dreams come to life!
4. Piano lessons help children develop courage. It takes courage to face challenges without letting our anxiety and worries get the best of us. Piano lessons help students learn to accept challenges such as learning a difficult song, as well as to perform pieces in front of teachers, friends, and families at recitals. Lessons also help kids learn the importance of keeping a positive perspective despite difficulties. Learning to handle uncertainty and stress in a way that minimizes anxiety and maximizes creativity is a valuable life tool. We all need practice at this!
5. Piano lessons teach children to persevere. A key part of accomplishing anything difficult is not to give up easily. As children grow, piano lessons teach kids to try and then try again if they don't initially succeed. However, as Yoda explained to Luke Skywalker, the objective isn't just trying itself, but accomplishing the desired goal -- "Do or do not, there is no try!" Piano lessons teach students how to adjust their expectations if they can't initially master a tough song or skills, and to tackle these big goals by taking small incremental steps. In the end, just like the baby songbirds that eventually learn to sing, students learn that they can accomplish great things and reach their dreams through careful and consistent effort.
Copyright 2005, Cynthia Marie VanLandingham
Cynthia VanLandingham is the owner of TallyPiano & Keyboard Studio in Tallahassee, Florida where she has been teaching piano for 20 years. She is a member of the American College of Musicians, the National Guild of Piano Teachers, a graduate of the Florida State University College of Education, and President of TallyPiano Enterprises, LLC. You can visit her website and download her original compositions free at http://www.tallypiano.com
Cynthia is also an author of a series of exciting books for children, with the mission of Using Music, Art, Science and Literature to Help Children Achieve their Dreams. Her illustrated series for piano students is called, Little Bear's Piano Adventures!TM These stories take young piano students on a Musical Adventure to find out what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that children can easily understand.
For more information about these wonderful books E-mail Cynthia at cindy@tallypiano.com, where you can also subscribe to her free internet newsletter, Piano Matters!
TallyPiano Studio: (850) 386-2425
Hotline: (850) 264-7232
Probably the most enigmatic Singer and Guitarist of the twentieth... Read More
U2s lead singer Bono isn't content with being part of... Read More
Some people think composing is this miraculous thing that only... Read More
This article discusses 8 vital things to remember as improvisers... Read More
Discover the phenomenonal complexity of music and reflect on the... Read More
One of the rules of practicing we all hear over... Read More
Welcome back to Part II of Rhapsody Music Downloads! I... Read More
A student once asked me; "How come sometimes the music... Read More
The idea of actually creating a complete piece of music... Read More
I have always believed that success, in practically any subject... Read More
In the late 1940's, the 45-RPM record replaced the 78-RPM... Read More
1. Learn how to ImproviseLearning how to improvise is the... Read More
Eminem's roots can be found in Scandinavia through his mother... Read More
From the Telecaster to the Flying V to the Iceman... Read More
Are you well past puberty and have always had a... Read More
We don't simply wear a theatrical costume; we wear the... Read More
Most of you have probably heard of the RIAA's quest... Read More
Songwriters dream of making their living by writing, and sometimes... Read More
Repetition is the key to learning something deeply. It works... Read More
Why jazz piano improvisation?Why not gospel piano improvisation?Is it not... Read More
After months of email and posts, we've finally compiled and... Read More
Before the internet, unsigned music artists couldnt make a living,... Read More
As a vocal coach, I hear it all the time.... Read More
Despite the title of this article, the purpose of it... Read More
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has launched a... Read More
1. Don't try and make something happen. Trying blocks the... Read More
While it probably doesn't seem like this would help -... Read More
Piano lessons provide a wide range of benefits to young... Read More
Britney Spears was born December 2 1981 as Britney Jean... Read More
The 'trois Gnossiennes' (1890) is a set of dance-like pieces... Read More
Recently, I had a student ask me to offer some... Read More
It's all over the news these days. Download music from... Read More
There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note... Read More
Chord symbols (for example, Fm7, Cmaj7 or G6) are a... Read More
The violin is a bowed stringed instrument and is the... Read More
IntroductionThe fact that you are holding this in your hands... Read More
How would you like to spend 4 years in a... Read More
Would you like to pop in a CD and have... Read More
John Lennon wasn't always my favorite Beatle; at first it... Read More
It's really not your fault. You see, you've been taught... Read More
Admit it... you were expecting a magic answer to this... Read More
There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note... Read More
Every once in awhile a guitar student will express a... Read More
When Akio Morita came up with the idea of the... Read More
Bringing Bagpipe Tuition to Everyone, Everywhere.I have been teaching music... Read More
"For optimum amp tone onstage, plug your amp into your... Read More
My friend, guitarist Brian Hughes, toured with the Chieftain's in... Read More
More so than any other music since the blues, hip-hop... Read More
Bang! Bam! Bang! Have you always wanted to play the... Read More
It is said that the forerunner of the guitar, the... Read More
You know your songs are great (and so does your... Read More
Kenny "Axil" Rose (Lead vocals), D.J. "Slash (Lead guitar), Joshua... Read More
New York born singer songwriter Michael Alan, who records with... Read More
There are a lot of independent labels out there waiting... Read More
Buying a digital piano could be a very delicate attempt,... Read More
Buying a guitar is an important decision that my students... Read More
We all have so many critical voices in our heads.Telling... Read More
When I first began playing the piano and improvising, there... Read More
This lesson can open for you a secret of high-speed... Read More
U2s lead singer Bono isn't content with being part of... Read More
Do you ever feel there is an inner voice speaking... Read More
Eminem's roots can be found in Scandinavia through his mother... Read More
We all know that music can be inspiring, entertaining, and... Read More
All of us know what jazz is when we hear... Read More
Cultures around the world since the beginning of time have... Read More
Pop/Rock Recording Artist Amber, who has scored seven #1 Billboard... Read More
Music & MP3 |