The lack of funding for quality music education programs in elementary schools and high schools across Canada is a sensitive and frustrating topic for many. It is a harsh reality and one that I have personally experienced in my musical training as well. From my perspective, this frustration stems from the fact that scientific research has demonstrated time and again the many benefits music education provide to infants and children of all ages. 

Below are a few of these benefits, which should serve as an incentive to enroll your child in private music lessons.

In fetal development the auditory system forms extremely early and the ear is actually the first sensory organ to develop brain connections. From those first weeks in the womb an infant’s ability to process sound and music only grows stronger. A recent study proved that children exposed to classical music in the womb are more apt to have more positive physical and mental development after birth. The experiment had fetuses being exposed to 70 hours of classical music during the last few weeks of pregnancy. When studied at six months, these babies were more advanced in terms of motor, linguistic and intellectual development than babies who received no musical stimulus during pregnancy.

There is a significant link between early music instruction and cognitive growth in certain other, “nonmusical” abilities, such as mathematics and pattern-recognition skills, memory, and spatial intelligence. In fact, studies focused specifically on music for young children even suggest that these cognitive gains increase according to the number of years that students engage in active music learning, and even that the younger children are when they begin, the greater the gains will be!

Early music experiences can also have a significant impact on literacy and reading. According to experts, learning to read depends on acquiring a variety of skills, including phonological processing, oral language, and comprehension. 

Through music study, students learn how to multi-task. Playing a piece of music, whether simple or complex, requires attention to tempo, tone, style, rhythm, phrasing, and expression, all elements that train the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. Dedicated practice of this orchestration can have a great payoff for lifelong attentional skills, intelligence, and an ability for self-knowledge and expression.

Through music study, students learn the value of sustained effort to achieve excellence and the concrete rewards of hard work. Music study enhances teamwork skills and discipline. In order for an orchestra to sound good, all players must work together harmoniously towards a single goal, the performance, and must commit to learning music, attending rehearsals, and practicing.

Music provides children with a means of self-expression. Now that there is relative security in the basics of existence, the challenge is to make life meaningful and to reach for a higher stage of development. Everyone needs to be in touch at some time in his life with his core, with what he is and what he feels. Self-esteem is a by-product of this self-expression.

Music performance teaches young people to conquer fear and to take risks. A little anxiety is a good thing, and something that will occur often in life. Dealing with it early on often makes it less of a problem later. Risk-taking is essential if a child is to fully develop his or her potential.

“Studying music encourages self-discipline and diligence, traits that carry over into intellectual pursuits and that lead to effective study and work habits. An association of music and math has, in fact, long been noted. Creating and performing music promotes self-expression and provides self-gratification while giving pleasure to others. In medicine, increasing published reports demonstrate that music has a healing effect on patients. For all these reasons, it deserves strong support in our educational system, along with the other arts, the sciences, and athletics.” Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Leading Heart Surgeon, Baylor College of Music.