How Singing Lessons Can Make A Huge Difference In Your Child’s Development

How Singing Lessons Can Make A Huge Difference In Your Child’s Development

Music Education is starting to lose many of its programs within schools, and due to a lot of school budget cuts, it has become one of the first departments to take the sorry hit. It is a harsh reality that many music teachers face, and they are learning to find ways to continue to teach outside of the school realm, by providing in-person or online voice lessons. Many parents have learned to keep music education present in their children’s lives by enrolling them in singing lessons. The importance of singing lessons in a child’s development has numerous advantages and can make big differences that help him/her achieve a truly successful and well-rounded life.

• Sociability and Relationships

First and foremost, singing lessons can give children, especially younger children, advanced skills in both communication and being social. It is truly beneficial to have a healthy social life. The music your children will learn while singing helps to show them how to be expressive and tap into their feelings, which provides them the advantage of being perceptive to the feelings in others. It allows your child to pick up on subtle cues that someone may be in need and provides them the opportunity to reach out and establish a connection, creating friendships. These relationships are built easily through this enhanced asset that is learned through their music studies, equipping your child with the ability to make friends and connect with people on a deeper level.

Communication is also enhanced through attention on certain aspects of singing like diction, vowel sounds, pronunciation, and intonation. Your child can then identify patterns within music and speech, also giving them a boost in reading and comprehension, which can be beneficial in areas later in life your child may encounter, such as public speaking and presentations.

• Cognition and Memory

“One of the greatest non-music benefits that singing provides is the improved memory and retention,” says Tracy Reina, voice teacher and co-founder of the music school Music to Your Home. Reading music requires focus, concentration, and memorization when practicing, so your child can take advantage of the routine and succeed in many other areas of life with this asset. Singing provides your child with repetition, which paves the way for how your child will learn and retain pertinent information throughout his/her life.

Your child’s brain power will also receive a boost from singing lessons. Singing exercises areas of the brain that can assist in a higher level of academic performance, including  – if you can believe it – math skills! Since singing focuses more on the right side of the brain, you wouldn’t think that math would be incorporated due to it being a left brain activity. However, the reading, logic and intuitive parts of music theory, reading music and interpreting it are handled by the right side, creating a more well-rounded effect. Some of the most intelligent people have the ability to utilize both sides of their brain simultaneously, or “in harmony” – pun intended. A great example is Mozart, who could speak and write music in numerous languages, using both of his brain hemispheres, instead of allowing one to become more dominant, as most of us do.

• Confidence and Performance

Singing targets learning how to perform in front of an audience, which can seem especially scary or terrifying. But in a private lesson atmosphere with a voice teacher, especially for children at a young age, children gain strong confidence in their abilities and skills. Freedom of expression allows your child to make the mistakes and learn from them without judgment, building upon their expertise and getting better over time, which in turn boosts confidence. Your child will no longer have anxiety when speaking or singing in front of big crowds, and the confidence will carry over into how your child presents his/herself in situations like interviews, meetings, and other times when s/he may be required to speak or perform in front of others

• Self-Discipline and Drive

As parents, we love it when our child can find something that they love which helps them strive to be more successful, such as a hobby that lights them up and ignites a passion. Singing lessons can provide just that! If your child finds love in singing and performing, the habits they’ll develop from this hobby can create a successful drive within them. Students taking voice lessons learn responsibility as they schedule practice time, acquiring time management abilities. When practicing, your child will learn what techniques best suit them for how to learn best and work to master their song, focusing on improving their singing skills. Establishing that solid routine and practicing regularly is a pathway to success in ANY area of learning for your child.

• Singing and Learning Together

Your child will engage in the acquisition of many useful tools while in his/her singing lessons, but it’s also important to know what you can expect out of them as a parent when you enroll your child. Since there are numerous added benefits in taking singing lessons that will attribute to your child’s brain power, self-esteem, and social life, it is a wonderful decision to enroll your child. Voice lessons are fun and entertaining, and it is an added bonus to acknowledge all of the “extra” advantages that the music theory, reading, and practicing can provide to further your child’s development.

These are just some of the great assets that singing and learning music can give, which make a big difference in his/her growth. If you have a child that struggles with physical activities, seems introverted or shy, or maybe has trouble in school, maybe you can approach singing lessons as an outlet to help them find something fun and beneficial. Keeping music education in our child’s life is important, so even if singing isn’t an option, there are other musical options to explore as well that can provide a lot of the same benefits.

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