Music Tip - Brain Training with Music Lessons

I have been giving piano lessons for a loooong time--like 35 years.  I’ve taught lots and lots of children.  Hundreds.  But I can count on my two hands the number of students who have become proficient enough at playing the piano that they can play church hymns or classical or popular music with ease. That’s pathetic!  8-10 students out of hundreds—that’s not a very good percentage of success.

 I was feeling very discouraged one day when thinking about my success rate.  What a waste of time and money.  But then I started thinking about the new job my daughter had.  She’s a brain trainer with Learning Rx.  I became interested in this program because one of my piano moms was also a trainer (that’s how my daughter heard about the job).  As I talked with my piano mom and my daughter I was fascinated with the games and activities the trainers did with the children/adults.  Learning Rx states, “Brain training "rewires" the brain to perform more efficiently than ever before….scientists have documented that the brains of "good" readers and "poor" readers are "wired" to function differently. Intense training makes it possible to rewire the brain so that reading becomes faster and easier than ever before.”

The good news is that students who struggle to read, or do math, or who can’t concentrate  or remember things, can significantly improve with brain training exercises. Due to copyright, my daughter and piano mom couldn’t share all the exercises they do with the children in their training, but some of the ideas they mentioned reminded me of what practicing and playing a musical instrument does for the brain.

Suddenly I didn’t feel so bad anymore about wasted time and money and nonperforming piano students.  Because I realized that I am a brain trainer!  Even if a student only takes lessons for 12 months or less, in those 12 months I have helped train his brain.  He has practiced eye-hand coordination, small motor finger movements, sequential learning, plus all these cognitive skills:

Attention Skills- sustained, selective, divided

Long term memory and short term/working memory

Logic and reasoning

Auditory and visual processing

Processing speed

WOW!  Music lessons do all that! 

And guess what?  If you’re a parent whose child only took lessons for a short while, don’t feel guilty or feel like it was a waste of money.  You were providing brain training for your child!  And he’s smarter because of it.  Way to go!  What a good parent you are!

Thanks for reading,

Cathy

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