THINGS OF DEEP VALUE THAT MY KIDS HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH THEIR MUSIC STUDIES
by Miranda Hughes
violin teacher and parent

• the experience of committing to something over the long term
• the experience of small incremental gains resulting in impressive overall progress
• experience breaking large overwhelming tasks into small achievable ones
• a long-term community of fellow learners
• a meaningful daily chore/routine
• an appreciation of the fact that everyone learns differently and at different speeds, and that there’s value in all learning
• guided experience with the supportive appreciation of others’ good work
• meaningful, authentic and non-competitive involvement in ‘teamwork’ endeavours
• the abiding knowledge that they have something they can do very well
• something that they are expected to work very hard at… especially important for children to whom much comes very easily
• an arena in which to work the kinks out of the parent-as-facilitator/child-as-learner relationship
• something to do as teenagers
• a common language with children and adults from other places, other walks of life and other cultures
• a ticket into non-age-stratified groups where they are valued for their contributions
• meaningful, long-term relationships with adult mentors
• copious exercise for the “memory muscle”
• the chance for the child to figure out what learning strategies and modes suit him best
• a window into history
• a creative / emotional outlet
• opportunities for travel and cultural exchanges
• a positive visible profile in the larger community
• a useful marketable skill… and one that can be used to contribute voluntarily to the community
• experience with preparing and executing a performance/presentation in the public limelight
• a cohort of similarly-committed peers to draw on for friendships during adolescence and beyond
• an intuitive appreciation of the mathematical patterns inherent in music
• the sense of being part of a family ‘culture’ of music

…and I’ll add a few, myself:

• joy, love, and happiness
• honing the skills of detail-orientation and focus
• applying those skills to a broader expressive canvas
• the experience of being a vital part of a larger whole

Music makes us better people.  It is one of the things that helps us strive to be more than what we might otherwise be, it helps us express our humanity more fully, and it is a language that can speak to wordless core of our souls.  

Or, in the words of They Might Be Giants, “Music self-played is happiness self-made.”