Most parents agree that extra-curricular activities and creative outlets are healthy for our kids. Did you know that guitar lessons and music training, in general, go a step further? When you give your kids guitar lessons now, they benefit all the way through their senior years.
The Other 90 Percent of Your Brain
Unlike any other creative expression, learning to play the guitar is a discipline that requires multiple parts of your brain to work at the same time. If its true we only use ten percent of our brains, then learning to play the guitar engages the missing 90 percent. Of course, we are only slightly kidding, but there is real science to the long-term benefits of guitar lessons when you are young.
It Just Mattered That You Played
In a New York Times article titled, Long-Term Benefits of Music Lessons, a study found healthy adults from 55-76 had faster responses to sounds if they had anywhere from 4-14 years of musical training. This was true for even the adults who had not picked up an instrument in forty years!
The article continues to quote neuroscientist and electric guitar player, Nina Krause, “It didn’t matter what instrument you played, it just mattered that you played.”
Brain Games Can’t Compete
According to Inc. Magazine CEO’s and executives are trying to compensate by trying to train their brains into adulthood. Brain training is a $3 billion industry. That’s billion with a B! What have neuroscientists discovered? All those brain game app can’t compete with the music lessons your kids can get today!
In the same Inc, Article they explain why learning the guitar can be much more powerful than a $3 billion industry, “Unlike brain games, playing an instrument is a rich and complex experience. This is because it’s integrating information from the senses of vision, hearing, and touch, along with fine movements. This can result in long-lasting changes in the brain.”
Musicians literally Have Bigger Brains
Brain scans show that musicians typically have larger brains—especially in the areas the connect the two halves. The areas that have to do with movement, listening and visuospatial (knowing where things are in space) are also bigger.
Healthy Aging isn’t the Only Benefit
If you follow our blog you might have caught our previous post, 5 Surprising Benefits of Guitar Lessons for Kids. In that article, we also outline the immediate benefits of Guitar Lessons for Kids. These include increasing self-discipline and patience, advancing motor skills (great for athletes), social skills and interactions, boosting self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment. Plus, they learn to ROCK! For some—the cool-factor is enough.
For the non-music seniors that participated in the study, they had wished they had music lessons when they were younger. You can give your kids the gift of self-expression and creativity through music and the gift of aging healthy! Sign up for Rock Dojo Guitar Lessons today.
Want to learn more? Check out Rock Dojo’s FAQs and learn how our colored-belt systems works (here’s a hint it’s like karate and you graduate with a black belt). Do you have a specific question about our guitar lessons for kids? Drop us a line at (503) 484-6417.
