Music as an important and powerful part of our universe, our culture and society — no matter what our ethnic group. It is a biological as well as an aesthetic part of human life. The many benefits include:

• The joy of music making
• The opportunity for another form of personal expression (non verbal, etc)
• Music can affect mood, state, (can change brain wave activity)
• Music study can increase self-confidence
• Music can make the learning process easier, aids the learning of language
• A significant positive correlation has been shown between music study and increased math, science, reading, history and SAT scores
• Music study can help to develop imagination, creative thinking, communication and teamwork skills
• Music listening has been shown to increase spatial-temporal reasoning (the kind of reasoning used in higher levels of math and science)
• Music training can affect brain growth and organization (planum temporal and corpus collosum are larger, cerebellum larger in males). Music utilizes both sides of the brain. (Wilson studies show that studying music involves more left and right brain functions than any other activities)
• Opportunities to
  • experience the benefit of hard work and reponsibility
  • develop perserverance and determination
  • develop self-discipline
  • experience the value of teamwork
  • develop sensory acuity — especially auditory and motor skills
• Music is a lifelong, intergenerational, and international language

Use of music can assist children with learning differences. e.g. appropriate classical music in the background.

Music has such a pervasive influence on learning. The value has been proven. There is no educational justification for cutting music programs in schools.

Private lessons have many special benefits. One-to-one undivided attention for 1/2 to an hour every week is a precious experience — one reason why it is so important to select the teacher carefully. It is an opportunity for the child to be treated as a unique, valued person, to have someone who cares about them and can see their progress. Private lessons are also an opportunity to discover and develop one's own learning style. Learning disabilities missed in the school classroom are often more easily discovered in this setting.

Updated August 7, 2000
© 2000 Norman Burgess