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5 Ways Piano Lessons Help Your Child's Development

12 August 2015 by Ava Bailey

You're thinking about signing your child up for piano lessons, but aren't entirely sure if you should. Aside from learning how to play an instrument, music lessons offer benefits galore to learners of all ages. What can your child gain from taking a music class, such as piano?

Language Skills

According to a study of low-income children who were at a high risk for learning difficulties in the Journal of Neuroscience, at least two years of music instruction may provide benefits when it comes to language learning. A long-term music class may offer children the chance to build brain behaviors associated with speech processing. This can result in the development of better language skills over time.

Intellectual Abilities

Will music make your child smarter? Possibly. Research on whether music lessons boost intellectual abilities show that children who participate in these programs have a small increase in IQ scores over those who don't, according to the American Psychological Association. A study in the journal Psychological Science found that that children who took part in music education had a higher gain in IQ scores than children who weren't participating.

Emotional Understanding

Children who take music lessons regularly may develop a better ability to understand and recognize emotions, notes the APA. Researchers reviewed the participants of the National Institutes of Health Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Normal Brain Development's MRIs to look for differences between music-learning and non-music-learning children. According to the journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, some connection between participating in music lessons and emotional regulation does exist. That said, the connection isn't completely concrete – meaning that other unknown issues may be the real reasons.

Math Development

Taking piano lessons or another music course may make your child better at math. The concepts that your child learns during her weekly lessons often translate into mathematical education. For example, understand beat and rhythm allows your child to look for patterns and count. Practicing her piano, reading sheet music and recalling songs helps your little learner to build valuable memory skills that she needs to make math class easier.

Fine Motor Help

The more that your child moves his hands and fingers, the better his fine motor skills will get. Pressing the piano keys helps to build dexterity, eye-hand coordination and small muscle tone. As your child becomes a more advanced musician, practicing skills such as moving his left and right hands independently will only add to his fine motor development.

From scholastic success to building physical abilities, music gives your child the chance to grow and develop in ways that just aren't possible while sitting stationary in a classroom. Piano lessons (along with other instruments) provide a pathway to skill-building that is creative, joyous and filled with fun! 

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