It’s back to school time, and if you have kids, you may be wondering if they should start taking piano lessons if they aren’t already. Do they want to? In that case, the answer is absolutely yes. The benefits of piano lessons are just too great.

In fact, they’re so great that you should encourage your kids to take piano lessons even if they’re not (yet) clamoring to do so. And if they’re already learning to play the piano, you can do a few things to get them to plunge back with enthusiasm, as you can see in these back to school piano practice tips.

At what age are children ready to learn to play the piano? That varies, but usually it is between the ages of five and nine. You should aim for giving it a try earlier rather than later because they will benefit greatly from it academically. They should definitely start in grade school.

Benefits of piano lessons: improved IQ

Yes, you can actually improve your child’s IQ by letting them learn the piano. Music has a powerful effect on the brain and helps build new synapses, and that leads to greater intelligence. This in turn, leads to better performance in school, and not just in math, though math skills are a major benefit.

Stronger math skills

Stronger math skills are among the best-known benefits of piano lessons! As children practice their scales and their tunes, their brain rewires itself to strengthen their analytic and spacial development. And that’s what leads to overall stronger math skills.

So if you want your child to do well in math, practicing playing the piano really helps with that. Who would have thought that something like playing the piano can have such a powerful impact on children’s math skills? It’s almost an unfair advantage.

Sharper language skills

Learning to play the piano has a very positive effect on children’s brain development and also helps with their language skills, both those when it comes to learning their native language and when they’re studying a foreign language.

Better concentration

Whether or not your children have ADHD, playing the piano helps them concentrate. It involves a lot of focus, and as they practice, their brain gets better and better at focusing.

Improved hand strength and hand/eye coordination

As you can imagine, playing the piano requires some powerful hand/eye coordination. Imagine playing one track with the left hand and another one with the right! This can be very challenging to a piano newbie.

But as they keep practicing, they get better and better at it, and their brain will become capable of keeping track of each hand’s movement.

In addition, playing the piano also strengthens the hand muscles. And both the improved hand strength and the hand/eye coordination transfer to other tasks as well.

More benefits of playing the piano

As if the above benefits weren’t enough, there are many more benefits associated with playing the piano. They include improved ability to handle constructive criticism, better stress management, stronger social skills, and more.

So letting your child learn the piano is a very smart move… if you want a smart kid! And getting your children started at the beginning of the school year is the perfect time to get them going with their new routine and have them reap the benefits of piano lessons.

Get your child started on a well-tuned piano

Of course, you’ll also want a well-tuned piano for them to practice on. And right now, after the worst of the summer heat has subsided, is a great time to schedule it for a tuning. Questions? Send me a text at 804-677-2416.

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