Q: Doc, I am thinking about buying a piano for Christmas and getting lessons for my child. Does music really help kids grow?
A: Absolutely yes. I am biased in my opinion of musical training, but science clearly justifies my belief.
Many parents will consider purchasing a piano (or guitar, a few brave ones consider a drum set) at Christmas for their child with visions of Carnegie Hall and beautiful concerts. Some do this from a secret desire to sneak in a few stealthy attempts at the piano themselves while others genuinely are hoping to introduce the love of music to their child.
Very few picture the hours (hopefully) of the plunk, plunk, plunk of the same torturous tune the child is trying to master. Or the Sunday afternoon recital with other well intentioned, Carnegie Hall dreaming parents and their little “Johnny Chased a Dog” song played by their little future world touring pianists.
Is it worth it? Absolutely. Even if they never consider it as a career, the benefits of musical training are continuing to be documented in scientific studies.
Three studies at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting showed that musical training increases the function, and even size of the brain.
One study from China showed that musical training at a young age increases language skills, memory and cognitive function well into adult years.
Another study from Canada showed musical training helps students with multisensory processing, meaning an increased ability to notice, process, and act upon multiple stimuli in the environment.
The third study from Sweden used functional MRI scans to determine that improvisational musicians (those who can create music on the spot) use an area of the brain that is more in the center and not the front. Essentially, this means the improvisational skills appears to be a learned behaviour and is such a natural function that the musician doesn’t have to think about it. In short, the belief is creativity can be learned and become second nature.
Music lessons can be a real chore. Learning the techniques of the instrument including the hand-eye coordination can be frustrating to a child who can pick up an iPad and quickly make music with a few simple swipes of the finger. Learning the timing, notes, pauses, rests, posture - all of this is a real challenge in this modern instant production and gratification world we live in.
It’s not easy on the teachers, either. I remember my dear piano teacher, Mrs. Hicks, had to get a cup of coffee and cigarette prior to each of my lessons.
Purchasing a piano can also be a tricky endeavor. Pianos have personalities like people. Some are bright. Some are reserved. Some are worn out and couldn’t care less. Others have broken sound boards that make it impossible to keep in tune.
However, one of the greatest musicians I’ve ever known, Harry Fritts, died this year. His love of the piano as a child was so great that he made a keyboard out of a grocery bag just to practice on the dinner table when his family was too poor to own a piano.
He was great as a performer, but he was greater in his ability to motivate and teach others to love and enjoy music. His mind was exquisitely sharp up to the day he died. His funeral was a concert given by the people who learned and loved music because of him. What a legacy.
Keep in mind that some of the greatest pianists were self-taught. Floyd Cramer, Ray Charles, and Scott Joplin quickly come to mind. Some of the best musicians I know personally cannot read a note of music. People do not flock to their concerts to see them read music. They go to hear them perform music.
And that is what it is about - learning to love music and to be able to express a person’s unique experiences in life through it, whether it be vocal or instrumental.
We all have an outlet in life. For some it is alcohol, television, drugs, computer mesmerisation or even violence. For others it is athletics, crafts, golf, writing, gardening and yes, music.
If you need a scientific reason to purchase a piano for your child, you’ve got it. If you want a selfish reason to see your child at Carnegie Hall, good luck. It takes eight to twelve hours a day of practice.
Remember though, you may be helping your child down the road to a life long love no matter what career they choose.
Eric J. Littleton, M.D. is a Family Physician in Sevierville, TN.
