Early music lessons have benefits beyond learning to play an instrument, parents and educators say
January 22, 2007
Tuned in ~ Early music lessons have benefits beyond learning to play an instrument, parents and educators say
January 22, 2007
His stockinged feet barely touching the floor, Adam Hammerle scoots to the edge of the piano bench for practice. He’s one-fifth the weight of the instrument, but when his fingers press the keys to perform “A Snail’s Dream,” Adam takes control of the shiny black grand.
He takes a 30-minute lesson once a week, and he practices 10 to 15 minutes daily. At age 7, he’s performed his first recital and already knows more music theory than his mother, Patti Hammerle, 38.
Adam, a Brownsburg Elementary first-grader, is among a growing number of youngsters enrolling in formal music lessons at an early age. Some instructors teach children as young as 4; others prefer to wait until the children can read. Some instructors say that, because more children are attending preschool — and thereby being introduced to music in class — they are interested in music lessons at an earlier age.
The decision usually falls to parents, many of whom view music as an alternative to sports or other extra-curricular interests.
Adam has tried every sport that his big brother, Matthew, 9, has played, but his passion is music, said Patti Hammerle, who played clarinet in Indiana University’s Marching Hundred.
A noteworthy edge
Like many parents, Hammerle knows first-hand that the benefits of music extend beyond pure enjoyment.
“Parents know that music carries our culture forward. If you want your child to be culturally literate, then you want him to study or listen to music,” said Michael Blakeslee of the National Association for Music Education in Reston, Va.
“Music isn’t a magic pill, but there are a variety of studies that show how music supports a child’s development,” said Blakeslee.
Some of those benefits include socialization, cooperation and mental agility, said Blakeslee. Other studies suggest that music helps children focus on the structure of sounds, an important aspect in language development, Blakeslee said.
The challenge comes when parents set their expectations too high, hoping for instant results, Blakeslee said. The teaching method needs to match the child’s age, interest and maturity, he said:
“Even when you hold an infant, sing to him and rock him gently, you are being a music teacher.”
Adam started his music lessons as soon as he expressed interest. When he was a year old, he attended Kindermusik, an international program for parents and children.
“We’re keeping the instruments available to him, and we’re trying not to push too hard,” Patti Hammerle said.
Adam’s second-story bedroom shows the depth of his interest — a new drum set joins several other instruments, including a banjo with a broken string, a guitar that he bought for $20, a keyboard, an accordion, a violin and a dulcimer.
Eventually, he’d like to learn the electric guitar, but for now, he’s content with piano lessons.
Choosing an instrument can be tricky. In the majority of public schools, students can add band as an elective in sixth grade.
Craig Middle School band director Steve Meurer demonstrates the various instruments to elementary students and encourages them to try them out before making a choice.
“We also give them a music aptitude test, which helps us steer them toward the instrument that might be the best choice for their pitch and rhythm,” he said.
Music lessons at any age are an investment in time and money.
Marv and Deanna Thornsberry of New Palestine pay $18 for each of their three sons to take a private half-hour lesson once a week. They chose instructors by asking friends for recommendations.
Hunter, 12, plays drums; Tanner, 11, plays electric guitar; and Connor, 8, plays bass.
The boys are partial to classic rock ‘n’ roll — an interest that started after they watched the movie “The School of Rock,” about a wannabe rock star who turns a prep-school class into a rock band.
“They laughed when I bought a Deep Purple album until they realized the song ‘Smoke on the Water’ was straight from the movie,” said Marv Thornsberry. Now, the boys practice together so often that they’ve started making public appearances.
“They’re all three ‘A’ students, and I believe music has helped them keep their grades up, and most of all I think it’s helped boost their confidence,” their dad said.
Tips for parents
Filed under: KM Articles & Videos, Music & Children Articles
Study synopsis The Role of Music in the Development of Self-Regulation in Preschool Children.
In 2005, Beth Frook shared a granddaddy of a Foundations of Learning (FOLs) in her Kindermusik class. A local university had recently conducted a study on 3-and-5-year old children in her program titled “The Effects of Kindermusik on Behavioral Self-Regulation in Early Childhood.” *See editors note at the bottom of this column.
It proved what Beth—and many other Kindermusik Educators—already knew:
The longer you stay in Kindermusik, the better.
Specifically, the study showed:
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Children currently enrolled in Kindermusik showed higher levels of self-control than those never enrolled and those previously enrolled. …This suggests that in order for children to reap the benefit of increased self-control as a result of Kindermusik participation, it is important to have repeated and recent Kindermusik experiences and remain enrolled in the program.
· Four-year-old children who had been exposed to Kindermusik for longer periods of time are better off in terms of self-control—namely a child’s ability to plan, guide, and control their own behavior—than similar children with less Kindermusik history.
· These experiences, stop-go, high-low, fast-slow, short-long, and loud-soft, whereby children’s motor behavior is guided by the music, appear to be good exercise for young children’s emerging self-regulatory skills.
Below, Beth shares her reaction to the study and the role that research plays in her Kindermusik classes.
Why do you think this research was important for your parents?
I think it adds impetus to a parent’s decision-making because it’s more than just saying, “Okay, we’ve done Kindermusik, let’s try something else.” It encourages a parent to go beyond the smorgasbord approach to children’s activities. A lot of times parents will say, “We’ll do art, then soccer, then swimming.” A study like this encourages families to look at the value of re-enrolling. Repetition is vital for a child’s learning, and currently in our culture, it’s not viewed that way.
How did you share this information with parents?
I walked into class that day and said, “Guess what?” Lots of parents knew about the study because Adam Winsler—who led the study—is also married to Kathy, who teaches with us.
Editor’s note:
Study results were made available to Kindermusik in May, 2005. The study was conducted by Adam Winsler Ph.D and graduate student Lesley Ducenne in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University.
The 15-month study included 91 children between the ages of 3 and 5 who were split into three groups: 23 students currently enrolled in Kindermusik, 19 students previously enrolled in Kindermusik, and 49 students of similar family backgrounds from local preschools who had never had Kindermusik.
The children were observed doing a variety of tasks that required self-control such as slowing down their motor behavior, delaying their gratification, refraining from touching attractive but forbidden toys, quietly whispering, and compliance with instructions to initiate or stop certain behaviors. Parents also completed surveys.
The study, supervised by Adam Winsler, Ph.D, Applied Developmental Psychology in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University, will likely be presented at national conferences and published later this year.
