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«I didn’t see music as a career in his future, but as a methodology that would teach him habits and skills that would help him in any activity he might want to do.»

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When I became a mom, my first priority from the start was to give my son all the love in the world, stay beside him and see him grow as a happy and healthy kid.

Also, as a mom, I wanted to provide my kid with tools that could help him through many stages of his development. By doing some research is how I discovered music.

I didn’t see music as a career in his future, but as a methodology that would teach him habits and skills that would help him in any activity he might want to do.

I want to share with you the benefits that our kids acquire by receiving musical education based on my experience with my 10-year-old son, Nico. After that, I will tell you which methodology he practices since he was three and a half years old.

Benefits of music education from an early age

1. Self esteem

Music helps kids to have more self-confidence; with time they start losing fear to stand in front of an audience, and they also become more social.

My husband and I are not very social, except with our closest friends. Nico is the extreme opposite; he loves to meet new people and talk. When he arrives somewhere, he makes friends instantly. I love that he is that way; he didn’t get it from us though.

2. Language skills

It has been confirmed that musical training activates the left part of the brain, which takes care of the language process.

Nico never had vocalization problems. It’s true that since he was months old, I used to make him do some exercises through games, but he never had problems in learning how to pronounce words in Spanish and English.

3. Hearing skills

By playing an instrument, they develop hearing skills in order to identify their own sound and the sound from their musical ensemble; also, to coordinate their tempo, among other things.

I always see with pleasant surprise how Nico develops his hearing skills. He coordinates really well when he plays with his music pals.

4. The brain is more active

A musician’s brain has higher neuronal activity. When they are playing an instrument, their brain must work harder in order to coordinate what they are playing with what their mates are playing, without losing focus with things happening around them, like an audience, for instance.

Since he was little, Nico got used to do various activities and adapt to the circumstances with no problem; for example, if we have a long drive he spends time studying or reading a book; we may be talking and/or listening to music, but he does not lose focus of what he is doing.

5. Release tension

Creating music helps children to relax, it allows them to immerse into something nice.

Nico loves to listen to music; he has his favorite playlist and it makes him happy to listen to it anytime. Because he is a musician, he also has fun playing his favorite pop song with his traverse flute; and he does just like that. It doesn’t cease to surprise me.

6. Creativity

This is a very important skill, searched by employers in every field. Music students use their creativity a lot, along with teamwork, communication and critical thinking; skills that are very handy in any field.

Nico uses all those skills with his music pals; there are kids from different ages and have a good relationship based on respect. They also support each other and push each other to be better.

7. It teaches them discipline and patience

Learning to play a music instrument requires discipline and considerable patience. Kids need a lot of practice, and music teaches them that they will improve with time and dedication. They must work hard to achieve a goal.

Nico is not a patient person, in fact, it’s hard for him. I think that skill is on development and it will take a while, it’s a process; but he is aware that the skills he’s required so far are a result of his hard work.

8. Higher test scores

This is not a priority matter for me, but I should mention that skill tests performed on 5,154 kids from 5^th grade, found that kids who were learning to play an instrument, received higher marks than those who didn’t. Also, a 10-years study of more than 10,000 students found that regardless of socioeconomic background, music-making students received higher marks on standardized tests than those who were not involved in music. (Source: Campbellsville University).

In this area what I can tell you about Nico, is that from 1^st grade he’s been one of those kids who gets bored quickly in class and all he wants to do is leave the classroom. At first, I freaked out, because teachers would send notes from school about this matter. When I went to talk to them and see what was happening with Nico, it turns out that it seemed like he wasn’t paying attention, but actually, he got all the given information and when it was time to do the activities, Nico was the first to finish and so he wanted to go outside to play. So, it wasn’t a lack of attention problem, it was the opposite; he understood everything and he got bored easily. Now that he is 10, he still has high scores and he is more patient during class, but there are assignments that he doesn’t like so he doesn’t dedicate time to them, which is another story.

9. Better results on social and psychological outcomes

According to a study run by SpreadMusicNow, students involved in arts are more cooperative with their teachers and classmates, they have more self-confident and express their ideas better.

Also, the U.S. House of Representatives reported that students playing at the school band or orchestra, had the lowest level of cigarettes, alcohol and illicit drug use, among any group in society (source: Campbellsville University).

My son is still too young to analyze this matter, but I am honestly not surprised about this report.

Suzuki Methodology

Nico studies the Suzuki methodology since he was three and a half years old. I found this method by reading a piece about it in the newspaper.

What is Suzuki methodology about?

It was created by Japanese violinist and musical pedagogue Shin’ichi Suzuki (1898-1998).

His philosophy was based on the hypothesis that musical ability is not an innate talent but a skill that one can train, just like when a kid develops the ability to speak its mother tongue.

Suzuki did not develop this methodology to train professional musicians, but to help kids develop their capacity as human beings. He said: “Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens. If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.” You can learn more about this methodology through this link.

Important recommendation

Getting Nico into music through this methodology is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made as a mom. What I must warn you is that as a parent, you must be very patient. This methodology is a process that takes time. At first, you may think that your kid is not learning anything because you don’t see any results, but it’s not like that.

I’ve seen many parents quitting after just a few months. A few times I also felt like quitting because sometimes, after one-hour drive to class, we’d arrive and Nico simply wouldn’t want to take the class, or he would arrive sleepy and angry, the class hour ended and he didn’t do any of the activities. I used to feel so frustrated, but his teacher would say “don’t worry about it, he may not have practiced with his musical instrument, or play during the activities, but he spent all the time listening to his friends making music, he was learning”. At first, I had a hard time believing that, but with time I realized she was right, I started seeing results and it was amazing.

My recommendation if you want to give your kids this kind of learning, is that you as parents must be very patient and constant. Results will be seen due time and you will not regret it.

There surely are other music learning methods, but I wanted to write about this one by experience. I’m sure you’ll find a Suzuki methodology school near you.

Xoxo,

MJ

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¡Gracias por compartir! / Thanks for sharing!