Let’s face it, kids usually love Summer vacation more than their parents. They look forward to video games, texting and YouTube while parents worry about giving them activities to stimulate the brain and help them enter the new school year ready to go.
So the challenge is to find something fun (for the child) as well as educational (for the parent).
This is where music provides the perfect opportunity.
Learning an instrument can be beneficial in so many ways and provides uniques benefits that no other activity can match.
The Summer Blues
When I was a child (in the long before internet days) keeping us away from the television was not so difficult. There were only a handful of channels, and they quickly became boring after the morning cartoons had ended.
We were forced to go out and find activities to keep ourselves entertained and engaged.
Now, children can watch just about anything from the phone in their pocket. Even if they do not yet have a phone, television caters to every viewers whim with hundreds of channels.
Add to that the addictive lure of video games, constant texting, and social media?
Well….children are being lulled into non-active activities.
I mean “non-active” in the sense of the brain and intellect actively participating and growing.
Children are now in what British researchers call “digital dependence,” which is affecting health, brain function, and emotional development.
These conditions are only made worse by the long, mostly unstructured Summer days.
These aimless activities become the “junk food” of time. Addicting, yet providing no value.
Why Music Lessons?
Yes, I own a music school, so I should be expected to have a bias for choosing music lessons.
But it’s not just my opinion.
Extensive research has found music to be incredibly effective at promoting brain development in children.
Researchers have measured dramatic increases in IQ, test scores, problem solving, and decision making abilities in children who take private music lessons.
There is no other activity that comes close to these results, not sports, cheerleading, art classes…..nothing.
And there are even more benefits to studying music.
Self Esteem
I have personally watched children go from crippling shyness to becoming radiant performers, brimming with confidence.
How does this happen?
By gaining a musical skill and then learning how to perform the new skill.
This is why I have installed a state-of-the-art stage room and recording studio at the John Henny Music Academy.
This allows us to get students on stage on a regular basis, so they begin to feel comfortable and then confident.
The recording studio not only teaches students the latest technology, but gives them the opportunity to create something that can be shared with family and friends.
Again, this helps confidence levels soar.
Convenience
I know parent’s schedules do not get the same Summer break as children, which is why we keep a full schedule during the Summer, with lessons available until 9 pm during the week, and as early as 9 am on Saturdays.
This, combined with our multiple teaching rooms allows us to schedule times that are more convenient for you.
This Summer presents a perfect opportunity for your child to arrive at the new school year with their mind engaged and ready to learn. Music can make that happen.
Please feel free to call or email to schedule a consultation with me. I’d love to introduce you and your child to the wonderful, mind expanding world of playing music.
John Henny