Understanding and
Instilling the Power of Music in Your Children
By Bryan Davis
You just leaned back on the couch and are thumbing through your
favorite magazine. You appreciate the peace and have been looking
forward to this bit of downtime. Suddenly, echoing through the
halls, comes the penetrating and not too pleasing sound of some
kind of Beethoven's Sixth hybrid that your youngest child is
relentlessly trying to pound out on the piano. Before yelling at
your kid to knock it off or play quieter, think again.
Scientists studying the effects of musical training note certain
brain structures are larger in musicians than non-musicians. This
suggests that musical training can influence brain organization
and ability. In fact, studies show that musically adept children
and adults do significantly better on memory and puzzle solving
tests than those whose musical knowledge stops at, let's say,
Billy Ray Cyrus. In addition, some research shows that listening
to Mozart helps college students study and Alzheimer's patients
cope with daily tasks.
In light of this knowledge, parents should encourage their
children to engage in the wonder of musical training. Can it be a
pain and hassle? Yes. Can it cost a decent amount of money? Yes.
Will your kids usually want to practice? No. And the latter reason
is usually why parents don't encourage their kids in musical art-
because it's just too much hassle to get junior to practice.
So how can you turn your kids on to playing music? One of the best
catalysts is if the parents play music. Children often want to
mimic mom and dad, so put that to good use. Even if you don't know
how to play an instrument, why not learn along with your child? If
that doesn't work, simply taking them to concerts or the local
music gallery can whet their musical appetite.
Also, explain to your children why music is important -not just
the physiological benefits, but also how music can enlarge a
human's soul. All cultures throughout the world view music as
integral to their society because music can touch what mere
language cannot. In addition, you and your kids can talk about
what acceptable music is and what the standards should be. If
you're not quite sure about a standard, here's a start: "Music is
an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible
delights of the soul." (JS Bach) And, according to Bach,
learning to play music isn't really all that hard: "All one has to
do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument
plays itself." © 2001 Family First. All rights reserved.
back to top |
