Is My Child Ready To Begin Music Lessons

violin lessons
  • How do you know if your child is prepared to take on the many challenges of learning an instrument?
  • Does your child express a strong interest either by often playing or imitating playing an instrument and/or asking for lessons repeatedly?
  • Is your child between the ages of 5 and 10?
  • Does your child have a good attention span for learning new things and does he/she enjoy being challenged?
  • Is your child musical? Does he/she enjoy singing, dancing or listening to music frequently?
  • Does your child enjoy reading? Does your child do well in school?
  • Are the parents willing and committed to supervising and enforcing daily practice sessions (the younger the child, the more parental involvement is required)?

    • Many factors play into the success or failure of your child’s musical studies. If you can answer “yes” to most of these questions, chances are very good that your child is ready. The commitment by the parent to view this new endeavor as an important extension of your child’s education is crucial to the your child’s success!

    If you would like to discuss the your child in detail or believe your child is ready for lessons, you can reach us at 410-929-6724 or mzellhofer@mdpai.org. 

    Music Lessons Help Develop Smarter Children

    voice lessons

    A study on the link between music and intelligence reports that music training—specifically piano instruction—is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children’s abstract reasoning skills necessary for learning math and science. The findings are a result of a two-year experiment with young children, conducted by psychologist Dr. Frances Rauscher of the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh and physicist Dr. Gordon Shaw of the University of California at Irvine. As a follow-up to their studies indicating how music can enhance spatial-reasoning ability, the researchers compared the effects of musical and non-musical training on intellectual development. 

    The experiment included four groups of young children: one group received private piano/keyboard lessons; a second group received singing lessons; a third group received private computer lessons; a fourth group received no training. Those children who received piano/keyboard training performed 34% higher on tests measuring spatial-temporal reasoning (the ability to think ahead and see symmetries and patterns) than the others. These findings indicate that music uniquely enhances higher brain functions required for math, chess, science and engineering. 

    Aside from these educational benefits, learning to play the piano will help your child build self-confidence and self-discipline while giving your child a love and appreciation for music and a valuable skill he will enjoy for a lifetime.