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In Singapore, many parents send their children to music lessons to master an instrument like the piano or the violin. This gives their children a new skill, and it also offers many other benefits.
But music lessons can be expensive, and there are many tales where children don’t practise, putting your efforts to waste. So is it worth it to send your child to music lessons?
Why Sign Up For Music Lessons?
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Learning how to play an instrument opens up opportunities for their children and helps them develop physically, mentally, and emotionally. It also helps to build good core values and attitudes.
So here are some benefits of learning music:
Instil discipline and good work ethics
To play an instrument well, your child must practise consistently, this develops a sense of discipline and a good work ethic. Soon they will learn that dedication and hard work leads to good results.
Builds patience
Learning an instrument takes time and effort, which is why it is a great way to build patience in your child. Sometimes, a piece can take months to learn and master, so your child learns to persevere and persist.
Improves memory
While learning an instrument, your child exercises their memory when they need to remember how each note is played. For example, they need to remember how the note sounds and how it needs to be expressed.
Improve maths and language skills
Studies show that learning music develops areas of the brain associated with language processing and reasoning, which are needed in maths and language skills.
Stress relief
Playing an instrument serves as an outlet for children. Not only can they express themselves creatively, but it is also relaxing, especially when learning pieces like ”Clair de Lune”.
Improves coordination
Studies show that children who learn to play instruments have stronger hand-eye coordination and better cognitive development than their peers who don’t. This is especially prevalent in children who learn the piano.
Potential future career
A career as a musician is possible once your child knows how to play the instrument. This is becoming increasingly so as more musicians are taking to social media and creating a career out of being a musician on social media.
When Is It Not Worth It?
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Despite the many benefits, there are times when music lessons become pointless and are for nought. So it is important to consider your child’s circumstances before starting their music lessons.
Here are two main instances where music lessons are not worth it:
When your child is too young
Although exposing your child to music in their early childhood is beneficial to their development, it becomes ineffective if they are too young. It is recommended by music associations and experts that ages 4 and above are suitable for learning music.
But at ages younger than that, research shows that your child won’t have the attention span to learn a musical instrument seriously.
When your child doesn’t enjoy it
If your child does not enjoy the music lessons, then they become pointless. When they do not enjoy it and are unwilling to continue with the lessons, they tend to put less effort into improving their skills.
This usually comes in the form of not practising, which causes their skills to deteriorate. Thus making the music lessons useless and all for nought.
How to Start Your Child on Music Lessons?
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As long as your child is old enough and is willing to learn to play an instrument, then you can go ahead with sending them for music lessons.
So how do you start your child on music lessons? Here are a few tips for you:
Let them experiment
Your child has to learn an instrument they are interested in, which has to be compatible with them. So let them try out different instruments first before sending them for lessons.
You can do this by letting them attend music lessons in school where they try out different instruments. Or you can also let them participate in trial lessons for various instruments first.
Choose the right teacher
Different music teachers have different ways of teaching, so you must choose a teacher whose teaching style suits your child best. Their personality should also be compatible with your child’s so they can connect and communicate well during the lessons.
This way, your child would enjoy their music lessons more, so they are more willing to learn and improve. One tip for choosing the right teacher for your child is to have trial lessons and let your child interact with the teacher.
Conclusion
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Learning how to play an instrument has many benefits for your child. But you must ensure that your child is ready and willing to take music lessons. Otherwise, it is not worth the money and time you and your child put into the music lessons.
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