How Piano Lessons Benefit Your Kids

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One of the best decisions I ever made was enrolling my nine year-old into piano lessons. He sustained a broken leg playing football and though he will be fine, the doctor told him not to play full contact sports until the injury is fully healed. In looking for an alternative after-school activity, a friend recommended piano lessons. I already have one son who is taking music lessons. The one on one lessons my youngest receives from his guitar teacher are excellent. Of course the piano lessons my oldest receives are equally good. In fact, he has picked up the piano rather quickly. Not only does he love it, he has improved in a variety of ways.

Self esteem

Playing the piano requires dedication. When he is given a set of scales to practice and masters them at the next lesson, his eyes light up with accomplishment. Then he started to learn little songs and played them for the entire family. When completing a song, he expressed that the feeling inside him was equivalent to the one he gets from winning football games.

Piano lessons help kids learn how to develop positive outlooks when facing difficult tasks ahead. When mastering new skills and progressing on to the next ones, children confront challenges with greater confidence. Piano lessons ultimately help kids learn how to face problems without becoming discouraged.
Better grades in school

With piano lessons, my son’s grades went up and his teacher said he was more focused. After doing a little research I learned that music lessons help kids perform better in school. Music lessons help reading skills in children. When kids are exposed to a multi-year program of music tuition involving training in increasingly complex rhythmic, tonal and practical skills, they display superior cognitive performance in reading abilities.
There are lots of studies out there that support the benefits of music lessons on a child’s ability to better perform in school. Several show that children who play an instrument get higher scores in both special and standard cognitive development tests. Furthermore, children who play the piano specifically get higher math scores.

Coordination

Increased eye-hand coordination is almost always guaranteed in children who play the piano. Kids who “tickle the ivories” have improved fine motor skills. Unlike other instruments, the piano requires that a child’s hands work independently of one another. Often, one hand will move fast while the other one moves slow. A child’s dexterity and thought process becomes sharpened and finely tuned. These benefits will help them be better athletes and musicians.

Take it from a mom

Sitting back and watching how piano lessons touch my son gives an incredible feeling. It has been 2 months since he started his lessons, and already he is getting better grades in school. He has a more positive outlook on general things, and he is feeling a new sense of accomplishment. Go online, find a qualified piano teacher, and set your kids on the path to a better future.

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Author: Abby Evans is a freelance journalist and proud mother of two. Due to her son’s recent success with the piano, she is currently considering music lessons from TakeLessons.

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Posted in: Kids,parenting