Why Music Lessons?

           Whether it’s knowing how to answer your children when they ask, “Why do I have to take music lessons?” or answering family members who ask, “Why are you wasting money on piano lessons?”, we hope the following list of reasons may give you some ammunition against music-lesson-skeptics:

•  Music lessons really do build character and instill diligence and a strong work ethic in the participant.
•  Music lessons give a child an appreciation for music that merely listening to it will not afford.
•  Music lessons have been determined to reduce anxiety, depression, and attention problems in children because they change the cortical thickness in the brain.
•  Increased cortical thickness in the brain also allows a student to improve memory skills, organizational skills, and attention.
•  Music lessons improve a child’s ability to solve complex math problems, comprehend reading passages, and use his verbal skills more effectively.
•  A child who takes musical lessons tends to maintain a higher GPA and to be more civically engaged (i.e., doing volunteer work, voting, and even finishing a bachelor’s degree and choosing a career path).

If you don’t want to take our word for it, consider the following articles: https://mic.com/articles/94992/the-scientific-reasons-we-should-teach-music-to-kids-in-school#.1W489Thyj and https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/07/21/the-science-of-why-music-improves-our-memory-and-verbal-intelligence/?utm_term=.de43c24d2203. Do you have any other personal experiences or benefits you want to share that would speak to the music-lesson-skeptics of the world?