“Because it’s the artists of the world, the feelers and the thinkers, who will ultimately save us, who can articulate, educate, defy, insist, sing, and shout the big dreams. Only the artists can turn the ‘Not Yet’ into reality. . . .” Leonard Bernstein
Some people believe that either you can sing, or you cannot. But no one would assume that someone would be able to play the flute or piano without being taught how. Of course, there are those with natural talent, and those who have a wonderful voice that may be hidden under a poor technique. The main purpose of voice lessons is to teach the student how to sing – how to be the instrument as well as how to use it – so that they can make the best out of the talent they have been given. If the student has a passion for singing, regardless of their career path, they can become better at singing – even if they are what some call “tone-deaf”!
Benefits of Singing for Children
- Singing encourages self-expression
- Singing encourages vocal imitation
- Singing gives a child verbal confidence and develops an eagerness to communicate
- Singing exercises the lips and tongue
- Singing helps children to speak more clearly and with greater ease
- Singing teaches grammar and vocabulary, as does the recitation of poetry
- Singing teaches phrasing
- Singing teaches storytelling (sequencing of events)
- Singing teaches patterning, rhythm and rhyme
- Singing gives children tools of verbal communication
- Singing teaches children how to listen, how to enjoy listening and how to think while listening
Music and Education
- Children who study music tend to have larger vocabularies and more advanced reading skills than their peers who do not participate in music lessons.
- Studying music primes the brain to comprehend speech in a noisy background.
- Children with learning disabilities or dyslexia who tend to lose focus with more noise could benefit greatly from music lessons.
- Research shows that music is to the brain as physical exercise is to the human body. Music tones the brain for auditory fitness and allows it to decipher between tone and pitch.
- Children who study music are more likely to excel in all of their studies, work better in teams, have enhanced critical thinking skills, stay in school, and pursue further education.
- In the past, secondary students who participated in a music group at school reported the lowest lifetime and current use of all substances (tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs).
- Schools with music programs have an estimated 90.2 percent graduation rate and 93.9 percent attendance rate compared to schools without music education who average 72.9 percent graduation and 84.9 percent attendance.
- Regardless of socioeconomic status or school district, students who participate in high-quality music programs score 22 percent better on English and 20 percent better on Math standardized exams.
- Much like expert technical skills, mastery in arts and humanities is closely correlated to high earnings.
- A study from Columbia University revealed that students who study arts are more cooperative with their teachers and peers, have higher levels self-confidence, and are more equipped to express themselves and their ideas.
- Elementary age children who are involved in music lessons show greater brain development and memory improvement within a year than children who receive no musical training.
- Learning and mastering a musical instrument improves the way the brain breaks down and understands human language, making music students more apt to pick up a second language.