“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.
Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks, and invents.”
New Year's Day is a celebration of Joy! It is also an opportunity to remember our unique achievements for the past year and our hopes, wishes, dreams, and challenges. It is a time to look forward to the new year, continue to work on those challenges, and initiate new goals, hopes, and dreams. These are unique "resolutions" and are vital changes necessary for personal growth and development.
Music Lessons For All Ages
Over the years, incredible and extensive research has been done on the importance and value of music lessons. When we sing or create music, we use all the parts of the brain: left, right, front, and back. All these parts collaborate. That is very unique. Music is complex; it uses many aspects of a person's being.
Here is our research for the value it brings to all ages - Starting with Toddlers!
Infants and toddlers recognize the melody of a song long before they understand the words. They often try to mimic sounds and start moving to the music as soon as they are physically able. Toddlers love to dance and move to music. Research has shown that the key to toddler music is the repetition of songs, which encourages the use of words and memorization, putting them ahead of most pre-schoolers. Toddlers' early exposure to music develops their brains fast.
For young children and pre-teens, everyday listening skills are stronger in musically-trained children than those without music training. Listening skills are tied to perceiving speech in a noisy background, paying attention, and keeping sounds in memory. Researchers found that after two years, children who regularly attended music classes and actively participated in their music classes showed more significant improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers.
Teenagers LOVE music… and playing an instrument helps youngsters better process speech in noisy classrooms and more accurately interpret the nuances of language conveyed by subtle changes in the human voice. Schools with music programs have an estimated 90.2% graduation rate and 93.9% attendance rate compared to those without. Adolescent-centered studies have shown that basic fundamental rhythm abilities, such as tapping to a beat or singing, help children better relate to reading skills and comprehension. Music will also help keep them socially connected to their friends and community.
And how about adults and seniors? Music studies have been found to stimulate parts of the brain, and studies have demonstrated that music enhances the memory of Alzheimer's and dementia patients. A study conducted at UC Irvine showed that scores on memory tests of Alzheimer's patients improved when they listened to classical music. Adults aged 60 to 85 without previous musical experience exhibited improved processing speed and memory after just three months of weekly 30-minute piano lessons and three hours a week of practice.
So, who should take music lessons? Well, everyone! Start your New Year by ringing it in with Music Lessons!