With its presence in television, movies, worship, and holidays, music plays an undeniably important, cultural role in our modern-day society. In fact, it has long become a natural part of our everyday experience. Ever notice how your voice gets high-pitched and more melodic when you talk to babies? That’s because parents use music instinctively to soothe and calm children, to express love and happiness, and to engage infants and interact with them. As these “natural instincts” have an impact on the babies’ development, encouraging them to learn music from a young age can draw out even more of their potential, academically and socially. Although there are countless advantages of learning music, we have narrowed them down to four main benefits.
1. Give them a boost in brainpower
It is commonly said that learning music can accelerate children’s brain development, with studies by the University of Southern California and the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation proving that learning an instrument can improve language skills, reading skill, and mathematical skills. That’s right, there
is a key to cultivating a child genius! The scales you learn in music is actually built upon an intricate mathematical system, so by understanding scales, beat, and rhythm, children are actually subconsciously learning to divide, create fractions, and recognise patterns.
Here’s another one for the books: picking up an instrument can also introduce kids to physics! Remember, the keyword is “introduce”, so when kids start asking where sounds come from, they can connect the idea back to plucking the strings on their violin or cello and how vibrations play their part.
2. Prepare them for school
Learning music is also key for school readiness, including, but not limited, to the intellect, social emotions, motor skills, and overall literacy. Babies can learn sounds and the meaning of words from infancy, and dancing to the same music can help them practice self-expression and build up their motor skills.
For children and adults, music can also help strengthen memory skills when they play. That means listening out for rhythm, pitch, and pace throughout their piece to build on top of their concentration skills. As their musical skills start to become relatively more advanced, they will have to start memorising their scales and their songs as well, developing their short-term (and eventually their long-term) memory as well.
3. Introduce multi-tasking
For string and keyboard instruments like the violin and piano, they demand different actions from your right and left hands simultaneously. This enhances coordination and can prepare children for other hobbies, like dance and sports. Instruments not only help develop ambidexterity, but they can also encourage children to become comfortable in naturally uncomfortable positions. Those who play instruments have improved hand-eye coordination over those who do not, since reading music is converted in the brain to the physical motion of playing the instrument. Multi-tasking is widely considered as one of the most important skills in life—just ask any working adult!
4. Enhance their social skills
Group classes and performances bring out an important aspect of learning music—learning how to present yourself in front of other people, strangers, or the public. As daunting as it seems, it is a transferrable skill that can be easily applied to public speaking and building up self-confidence. Group classes also require peer interaction and communication, encouraging teamwork, as children must collaborate to create a crescendo or an accelerando. If a child is playing their instrument too loudly or speeding up too quickly, they will need to adjust in order for the bigger picture to work harmoniously.
Lessons offer a forum where children can learn to accept and give constructive criticism. Knowing how to turn negative feedback into positive change through patience, discipline, and time helps build self-esteem. Group lessons, in particular, can help children understand that nobody, including themselves or their peers, is perfect, and that everyone has room for improvement.
Where to get your kids started with music
In addition to the developmental benefits, music brings us joy, to put it simply. Located conveniently in Wanchai, “Nurture by love” is the mission statement of Seed Music Academy, as the founders hope all children will develop a genuine love for music. To them, every single child is like a seed, who, when nurtured with love, will grow into a majestic tree. Their studio is designed based on this concept, with a green grass carpeting to represent how the academy is the ground for children to grow, a tree-shaped desk outlining the expectation for children to grow into a strong tree under the influence of music, and the white ceiling with rounded green leaves depicting the branches and fruits of love and support.
For functionality, the movable soundproof partitions can expand the space for hosting piano, cello and violin recitals and concerts. The curved glass introduces natural light into different rooms, creating a transparent view and visual extension of the space. They also enhance the acoustic sound and also symbolise another significant meaning: children are embraced by the love of their parents and teachers when they learn and grow at Seed Music Academy.
What are the benefits of Seed Music Academy?
Unlike most other music studios, the Academy uses the Suzuki method in their cello, piano, and violin classes. They believe in the innate ability of every child to master difficult musical instruments, and that the simultaneous development of the child’s inner heart is integral to playing anything beautifully. For each music room, there are two grand pianos (a rare occurrence) lined up against each other so that children can learn to listen and have a go at the piano at the same time! Parents are required to be present for every class since learning music is a unified effort between the Academy and at home, which is a special feature of the Academy as they want to emphasize that they are teaching how to really appreciate music, and not robotic copy and pasting. Especially for young children, their success in picking up their sensitivity towards music depends on parents’ patient attention and encouragement in every lesson and at-home practice session.
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Seed Music Academy
To find out more about Seed Music Academy and their cello, piano and violin classes on offer, click
here.
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