Enriching Education: Benefits of Music

Studies show that children who are musically trained from an early age can perform better at a range of subjects such as mathematics, science, arts and language. Learning to read music with its concepts of time, rhythm and pitch, can have a direct effect on children's active listening.

Music enhances fine motor skills, or the ability to use small, acute muscle movements to write, use a computer, and perform other physical tasks in toddlers. In an announcement from theThe National Association for Music Education, an increase of graduation rates, reduced use of all substances (tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs) as well as improved SAT scores were all included as short and long-term results of piano playing during early childhood.

I had a chance to interview Sarah Binder Mehta, President of PianoPiano, to learn more.

1. Why is music so beneficial for children?

Music enhances fine motor skills, or the ability to use small, acute muscle movements to write, use a computer, and perform other physical tasks in toddlers. So introducing instruments at an early age has a significant positive impact, not just on their motor skills, but eventually in the classroom as well. For example, piano-playing children that continue to play through their teens have a better understanding of math and language concepts as the piano is the only instrument that activates both lobes of the brain. Those children that continue to play piano throughout their education can increase math and language SAT scores as well improve their overall performance on other standardized tests.

There also is a new study that shows that students who take piano lessons for two years between the ages of 5 and 9 are 20% less likely to get dementia.

2. How can piano rentals help families?

The benefit of renting from PianoPiano is our long term plans – you can start with 6 or 12 months and then keep renting for as long as you’d like. This makes renting ideal for parents that don’t want to make a big financial commitment when they aren’t sure if their kids will stick with it. We’ve seen that children are likely to take playing and practicing more seriously when they are playing on a real acoustic piano. Then, if your kids love playing and you decide to purchase the piano, you can use the first 12 months of rental costs towards the purchase. For all rentals, we deliver the piano direct to your home or apartment and offer tuning services to make sure the piano is ready to go.

We also offer monthly recitals that are free to all of our customers, giving students the opportunity to practice their performance skills and see other pianists at all levels performing. This is a great motivation to give them something to aspire to and a drive to keep practicing.

3. Is there a "best age" for children to start?

Around the age of 5 or 6 is a great age to start piano lessons. We also have some students that start as early as 4 with a half hour lesson each week. However, it is important to know your own child’s attention span to gauge whether they’d have the patience for it. Learning piano at 5 or 6 years old is very beneficial because it is when the brain is really developing its language centers.

That said, it is never too late to start. We have families that come in with children in their teens who are looking to learn as well. We’ve also seen a lot of parents who start lessons or go back to lessons with their kids so they can learn together!

4. How can music teachers work with students to motivate them through the challenging aspects of music?

Music teachers should always take time to understand their student’s learning styles. Every piano student learns differently and can find a different aspect of playing more challenging than others. If teachers can help their students tackle particular challenges in a fun way, their students are more likely to concentrate better and enjoy the learning process.

Teachers should also encourage their students to attend piano recitals of more experienced players to see what they could work towards. We’ve noticed that students who hear firsthand how a piece of music should sound are much more motivated to learn.