Categories: Parenting

5 Benefits of Piano Lessons that Parents Should Know

What motivates a parent to send their child to piano lessons?

There are many reasons why parents sign up for piano lessons. Parents have this hidden dream to play the piano but somehow they were deprived of this when they were growing up. Other parents had 1 to 3 years of piano studies but quit for some reason along the way. They feel that their children have more skills and interest to begin with to make a success out of it. Some parents simply enjoy the sound of a piano that they would love their child to master it and play their favorite songs. Parents want an activity that their child will pursue on a long-term basis and enjoy it as well. Other parents are thrilled to watch their neighbor’s children and they want the same thing for their child. Many parents had a pianist in the family and understand the need to start piano studies as early as possible. A few parents have researched on the relation of piano studies and intellectual development.

Some parents, however, still need a compelling reason to sign up for piano lessons. There are just too numerous competing activities such as swimming, gymnastics, art classes and sports lessons. Contented with their child’s multitude of talents, there is really no urgent desire for a concert pianist in the family. Are there other benefits of piano lessons?

First benefit is the ability to handle pressures in life. Piano students become proficient in handling stress as a natural part of learning. A piano student participates in various music performances like a recital. The piano student learns to deal with racing heartbeats, fingers trembling, anxieties, lost of focus in an effort to control one’s nerves. In order to avoid an embarrassing situation, a student spends countless hours in practice to be able to play at its best. Exposure to music performances at an early age will rear a child to handle stress with poise and grace.

Second benefit is the ability to respond to criticism. Piano students learn to work under the close scrutiny of a mentor, in this case, their piano teacher. Students learn to accept advice and feedback from their teacher who they view as the expert in that field. It produces adults who are more considerate to opinions different from their own.

Third benefit is the ability to cope with victory as well as setbacks. Various opportunities for public performances such as school events, recitals or even simple family gatherings teach a piano student to face a mixture of successes and disappointments. They will have a taste of spectators who are not reacting enthusiastically to their performances or audiences deeply impressed with their skills. Either way, these occasions provide them with plenty of practice to deal with triumphs and failures.

Fourth benefit is the value of hard work and perseverance in long term goals. Young piano students will get used to the notion that little steps today actually prepare them for the future. The perception that not everything in life is instantaneous will be embedded in their minds.

There is no guarantee that a child will always learn at a constant rate. There will be weeks of unproductive moments. Practice times may seem to be mindless attempts to play wrong notes for no reason. Children not used to this inevitable part of long-term learning will easily be discouraged. Thus, any parent should not quit piano lessons when their child loses interest in playing. Quitting at that moment will teach the child to give up when things become difficult or monotonous.

Piano study is incremental learning as student goes from primer level books to book 1, 2, 3, 4 and so forth. Students recognize that as they advance from one level to the next level, they are not only getting better but enjoying piano playing as well. In a teenager’s life, especially in moments when they want something intensely, their minds will be distracted from the route of immediate or short term gratification. Hard work will ultimately usher them back to their long term goals.

Fifth benefit is to get accustomed to the feeling of achievement. Studying a musical instrument is about learning how to become good at something. There will various opportunities that their talents will be validated.

The overall benefit of piano studies is not even about music itself. It is the peripheral skills acquired in the course of mastering the instrument: staying calm and focused under pressure, evaluating one’s weaknesses and working at it or be better, persisting in the face of challenges, working whether one feels like doing something or not, breaking jobs into little pieces to reach goals and providing an outlet for creativity.

Your children may not turn out to be concert pianists, but they may become doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, engineers, writers, teachers… because they have been provided immeasurable opportunities to develop essential life skills.