It’s Valentine’s Day this month, and as we enter this iconic holiday, we will explore how music and love has existed in people’s lives throughout the many different music genres.
Read moreThe Benefits of Studying With Music this Fall
Start the Fall with turning on music when you hit those books, and remember how important music is for so many things!
Read moreWhy You Should Take Lesson With National School Of The Year
“Play Me a Song!” The Importance of Music Recitals
Recitals are a very long tradition of sharing music in a group environment. Family and friends gather together in celebration of musical performances and help encourage musicians of all ages.
At Leading Note Studios we hold numerous recitals throughout the year for both children as well as for adults. Many benefits are a result of participating in these events.
In my 25 years of teaching music, the benefits certainly outweigh the avoidance of these well-established gatherings. Here are the top 5 reasons music recitals are so crucial to every musician.
1. Recitals provide the opportunity to share what a student has learned in their music lessons and to receive recognition for all of their hard work. Learning a song on any instrument requires hours of hard work and solo practice. Performing and playing at a recital gives the musician a chance to show a piece that is polished and perfected.
2. Recitals help build self-confidence and self-esteem. Performing in front of an audience plays a significant role in self-confidence in all areas of life. Receiving genuine and heartfelt praise from family and friends has been shown to boost a sense of self-worth and confidence. After students have performed their piece, I often see big flushed-face smiles after the audience claps enthusiastically. The pride and feeling of accomplishment of playing in front of a supportive crowd just cannot be beaten.
3. Recitals are very motivating. Watching other performers play their songs increases a renewed excitement and shared love for music within the school or community. They are also a time when our students come together. Younger students are always inspired by the performances of the more seasoned students and come away with a renewed excitement for music. Experienced students get a chance to remember starting their instrument and reflecting on how far they have come.
4. Recitals provide a chance for you to experience and overcome nervousness, and to realize those feelings are okay. In “real-life” these feelings are part-and-parcel of being human. Experiences with successfully conquering nerves give a unique type of confidence when learning anything new!
5. Recitals create a respectful and supportive environment making sure that the love of art and the musical journey does not become overly competitive. A musicians passion for music can grow healthily and organically with support and encouragement.
I have seen children grow from shy and introverted to outgoing, confident young adults. The ones who underwent this change stuck with their lessons and took every recital opportunity they could. Inspired by music and able to perform in front of a crowd, this boosted their confidence as well as their love for music. The progress didn’t happen after just four lessons, but from years of positive reinforcement by teachers and parents.
The Power of Giving Music
“From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.”
The power of giving is one of the most transformative things you can do to change a person's life, as well as change your own. There are plenty of people in the world with dreams, ideas, passions, and creativity that are unrealized, because they may not be able to do something they love.
"Helping and giving them the opportunity to do the thing they love will change that forever.
What does it feel like to give music? When you share music, it connects all of us and brings us all together. You are giving something that will last a lifetime and help them feel connected to themselves and others. When you give music... it actually feels .... fantastic.
This summer, we had a business owner at our music school, award five music scholarships to five different children.
Laura Beulke owns "Vertical Printing & Graphics" here in Encinitas. When her daughter chose to discontinue her lessons, she gave her daughter Abby's tuition as scholarships to Kayla (8 1/2 years), Alea (15 1/2 years), Micah (18 years), Victor, (18 years), and Kyle, (12 years).
Each of these children were unable to continue with their lessons financially, and Laura stepped in and helped provide scholarships for their families. Laura is a touchstone in our community of bridging hard work with selfless giving within our community. She is consistently one of those people who steps in and gives to others. Those families that received the scholarships appreciate her generosity in helping those children continue with their music studies.
The Power of Community
When the community bands together to help one another, it helps create, sustain, and keep us all connected. It is magical and unique. All five children were ecstatic when they found out that they were going to have their lessons this summer. And all because of Laura.
What does Music Provide?
Studies show that listening to music can benefit overall well-being, regulate emotions, and create happiness and relaxation in everyday life. It also reduces stress, and who does not need that right now?
Researchers have also found that learning to play a musical instrument can enhance verbal memory, increase spatial reasoning, and literacy
skills. Playing an instrument requires that you use both sides of your brain, strengthening memory power and brain development.
And when you share music, it has the unique ability to connect all of us and bring us together.
Music Builds Character
As children and adults learn new skills, including reading music or playing a new instrument, they'll gain a boost in self-confidence. Plus, adding music lessons to a busy schedule of school and other activities helps individuals set plans and manage their time.
So the next time you are looking for a unique gift, give the gift of music, change a person's life, and the community.
Amber Flynn
“Zooming In” on the Healing Power of Weekly Music Lessons
Many of our students report back that, while it had been a challenge, they look forward to their lessons more than ever, and it continues to be the “light in their day.”
Read moreThe Invaluable Life Benefits of Music Auditions By Amber Flynn
“If you do not go after what you want, you will never get it.
If you do not ask, the answer will always be no.
If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place”
For a musician, an audition can be one of the most valuable and exciting experiences in their music studies. They can also be challenging and nerve-wracking moments, but in the end, an audition experience can bring many life benefits. It is a known fact that many experienced virtuosos can also get stage fright, fumble, or experience extreme nervousness. No artist is immune to the possibility of this happening, and sometimes no amount of preparation can keep it from happening.
That does not mean that you should avoid them. In fact, auditions help artists to grow in their performances as well as strengthen and deepen their love of music and their artistic expression. The most important result of an audition is that it can reveal to the musician both their innate strengths as well as their weaknesses. It can also be incredibly liberating and life-changing.
We encourage and teach our students how to participate in auditions. They are an excellent opportunity for students to learn invaluable life skills - not just for students who want to pursue a music career, but for ALL students' real-life situations moving into adulthood.
Here are the many life benefits that are the result of participating in an audition.
• Time Management. Audition preparation is a process and must be paced and understood up-to-the time leading to the audition date. A deadline means that a song must be learned, memorized, and polished within a particular time frame. Time management teaches the student the importance of meeting deadlines, which is a beneficial life skill.
• Handling Pressure & Nerves. Coping with fear, nerves, anxiety, racing heartbeats, and learning to do their best under pressure is one of the essential life skills any student can learn. Having many experiences to draw upon will help in many life situations.
• Receiving and Accepting Feedback. Students learn how to handle pressure and nerves in our music school recitals, where they play in front of a more relaxed audience such as friends and family. Playing in front of a judge in an audition can help teach them to accept comments and feedback. Critiques and feedback are invaluable life skills that can be utilized later in life, whether the student becomes a professional musician or not.
• The Value of Hard Work. When students are successful in an audition, they learn that it was all worth it. The time and effort they spent practicing and polishing their performance will show that their hard work was recognized. This success will motivate them to continue working hard and do well again next time. Excellence comes with hard work and is not just a result of "talent."
• Coping with Unfavorable Results. Dealing with adversity is a tremendous life skill. Being unsuccessful in an audition can help them learn even more from experience.. Learning to deal with less than desired results teaches a student to be mentally and psychologically healthy, musicians, and human beings. - not everyone who auditions is accepted - even if the performance is excellent.