Life Lessons from Music Lessons

When you think of the benefits of taking Suzuki lessons, what comes to mind first? Many families consider the music benefits, but the everyday benefits are sometimes overlooked. Dr. Suzuki famously said that his goal was not to create great musicians, but to create great people.

Here are just a few of the wonderful life skills your child develops in Suzuki lessons:

1. Listening and following directions. Often, when a child begins Suzuki lessons, it is their first experience with formal instruction. Paying attention to what the teacher is saying and asking of them is a struggle, and a skill that must be developed, but once your child begins to understand the framework and structure of lessons, they will be able to learn quickly. When children are in the habit of following instructions in lessons, they're more receptive to following them in other areas of life as well.
   
2. Fine motor skills. No matter which instrument your child studies, they are learning a massive amount of coordination and control over their hands!
   
3. Memorization. Children’s memories are amazing! When we develop them from an early age, they learn how to harness this ability and improve it.
   
4. Social skills. Group lessons are a great social learning environment for children, because they get to interact with children from other age groups. In school and daycare, they are likely to be grouped with similarly-aged children. When children interact with younger children, they learn empathy and get a chance to be leaders. When children interact with older children, they can see how their hard work will benefit them later.
   
5. Language development. Children who study music have more developed left brains. They learn to process a wide variety of sounds, forming more connections.
   
6. Spatial skills. When children learn to mentally visualize the shape of a piece of music, they develop the same skill set they will eventually use to solve math problems.
   
7. Discipline. Committing to regular practice and following through on it is a great habit to develop early. Being able to stick to something and keep working at it will help your child with everything they decide to pursue throughout their life!

Suzuki lessons are a wonderful way to give your child the gift of music. In addition to learning how to play an instrument, they learn many skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives!

- Shannon Jansma, published in the April 2018 issue of the Ann Arbor Suzuki Institute newsletter