9 Myths About Kid’s Music Lessons
Kids have been taking music lessons at the Music Makers Academy for over 30 years.
During that time parents have had lots of questions for us about kids’ music lessons. These questions have taught us that there are some common myths about kids music lessons.
Parents are often relieved and excited to learn what music lessons are really all about.
Music lessons are a journey of discovery – not just for kids, but for their parents to0!
Many parents have told us how much their enjoyment and understanding of music increased over the years that their kids had music lessons.
There’s a lot to learn and it’s all enjoyable. The problem with some of these myths is that they can prevent parents from bringing their kids to music lessons in the first place, and then everybody loses.
Let’s unpack some of these pernicious myths and in the process we will discover what kids music lessons are really all about.
Myth #1: Music Lessons are only for the super talented
Sometimes the “origin stories” of famous musicians are amazing – four year olds playing Mozart by ear, six year olds composing operas, and so on.
These stories are amazing (and some of them are even true!) but they are not the experience of most musicians, not even some of the best musicians, most of whom started quite unremarkably.
Who knows how young musical prodigies do what they do? The important thing to understand is that those stories are amazing because they are unusual!
Amazing talent is not a pre-requisite for learning to play music any more than it is for anything else we do.
You don’t need to be a math genius to learn simple arithmetic and you don’t need to be a gifted athlete to learn to ride a bicycle.
The difference between learning music and simple arithmetic or bicycle riding is that music can be so deeply enjoyable, in part because it is so open-ended.
As a great musician once said, “music is enough for a life, but a life isn’t enough for music!” which is to say, it never gets old, there’s always room to grow, there’s always more to enjoy.
Music lessons are for anyone who is interested in experiencing music first hand. Talent is not a pre-requisite because making music is a human birthright, it’s available to everyone.
Myth #2: Music lessons are only for students who will be professional musicians
It is true that some music students end up pursuing careers in music.
That’s not most music students, and you might be surprised to learn that it’s not always the most talented students who decide to play professionally.
Music students often do well in lots of things, from sports to math, and it’s not surprising.
The weekly structure of music lessons, the daily practice, and the consistent contact with a caring professional teacher often rubs off into other areas of a student’s life.
The success kids experience in their music lessons builds their confidence so that, not only are they willing to try other things, they have the tools to build skills and knowledge gradually and consistently.
They know they can learn difficult skills over time.
There is a long list of scientifically verified benefits for people who take music lessons.
Kids who study music do better in a lot of ways.
They get significant cognitive benefits, do well in school, and usually have a cheerful attitude and are socially well-adjusted.
Not all music students become professional musicians, in fact most of them don’t.
But that’s not the point.
It’s great for adults to have strong music skills from years of taking music lessons as a kid. It opens doors.
They might find themselves playing music with their fellow students in the engineering department of a university or they might teach a few students to supplement their income, or they might even play in an orchestra or a band.
There are many possible outcomes, all positive, including but certainly not limited to playing professionally.
Myth #3: Kids find music lessons boring
We certainly haven’t found this but it is something that parents fear.
More to the point, it isn’t so much about the lessons as it is about practicing.
There is a very common idea out there that practicing music is boring.
You can trust us on this, if it was boring we wouldn’t be doing it! We practice every day – it’s just too much fun to miss!
Kids are excited to play an instrument and they enjoy the process.
Having said that, there is a need for parents to support their kids in this process. There is a need for consistency that very few kids are capable of sustaining on their own.
But that doesn’t mean it is a struggle. Some parents use music practice as a reward for good behavior!
Myth #4: Kids hate music exams
Two things about this one.
Number one, no one ever needs to take a music exam if they don’t want to. The idea that music exams are an unavoidable part of music lessons is a myth in and of itself.
Number two, a surprising number of kids, love taking exams!
They love the structure and the motivation – like preparing for a big sport tournament – and they love the reward of a successful exam with a high mark and a glowing adjudication.
It feels good to see yourself moving along a path of development with discreet levels.
And it can be healthy to have your new level acknowledged by an authority besides your personal music teacher.
Myth #5: Kids Must choose between their music lessons and their social life and other interests
We love this one.
There is an old painting of a little boy sitting at a piano in his baseball uniform looking forlornly out the window at all his friends enjoying a game outside.
This sums up this myth so perfectly we should probably have this painting on our studio wall.
The truth is, this is just silly.
The amount of time that it takes to prepare for a weekly lesson doesn’t prevent anyone from having as much fun with their friends as they like. In fact, as we pointed out in myth number two, kids who take music lessons typically have happier and more active social lives.
Certainly there are choices to be made but rather than music practice taking the place of something your kid loves to do, maybe it could take the place of mindless internet surfing – just sayin’!
Myth #6: Music lessons are too expensive and are just for the super-rich elite
We come from lower middle-class working families. We are so lucky that our parents saw the value of music lessons.
From what our students parents tell us many common activities for kids are way more expensive than music lessons.
Often parents choose music lessons because it is a more affordable option than many.
It does cost something of course but at Music Makers Academy we keep our fees very low so that the cost does not prevent anyone who wants to study.
Music lessons are so worth it! Kids music lessons are worth it because your kid is worth it.
Your kid has a unique musical voice and a unique perspective that deserves to be realized.
We are naturally biased here at Music Makers Academy but we can honestly say that kids music lessons are definitely worth it. Music lessons have been wonderful for us, they have been wonderful for our colleagues, and they have been wonderful for our students.
We have been doing this long enough to have seen generations of kids taking music lessons and we have watched them grow up taking music lessons.
Now those same wonderful kids are adults who value and enjoy the results of their music lessons every day.
Many of them play in amateur adult ensembles, some of them play professionally, and a few even teach music lessons themselves.
Music skills are a ticket into a whole world of experience and opportunity.
Music kids are in a class of their own and they know it. They connect with other kids who play their instrument and with other musicians and with other artists of all kinds, and they connect with music not only as mere spectators but directly as creative performers.
It is quite a thrilling experience and it never gets old.
Myth #7: Music lessons are "high-brow"
This one is related to the last one about lessons being too expensive.
Some people imagine that music, particularly classical music, is for a particular socio-economic class and not appropriate for “common folk”.
We can easily point out numerous examples of famous classical musicians from a wide range of backgrounds and there is no apparent class, race, or economic level that produces the best musicians.
One of the greatest operatic divas of the 20th century was a Maori from New Zealand.
All kinds of music belongs to all kinds of people – there is no genetic component!
Myth #8: Music Instruments are too expensive
This one is obviously part of myth number six, music lessons are too expensive, but it deserves a category all its own.
First, there is a range of instruments from very, very expensive to very, very inexpensive.
The most expensive instruments are the great violins. Most people have heard of the great Stradivarius violins (as well as others) which can be worth millions of dollars.
Those instruments are mostly owned by foundations which loan them out to prominent players.
These are great instruments of course but part of what makes them so expensive is not just that they sound good but that they are historical artifacts.
They are hundreds of years old and each of them carries a long story from when they were first made through all the wonderful people who played them.
But violin makers are still making violins and they are making really good ones that arguably play just as well as these relics, and because they don’t have the history, they are much less expensive.
A beginner player can do very well with an instrument much less expensive than either of those options. And players can sell their instruments in order to upgrade over the years.
And who says you need to buy an instrument anyway?
You can rent fine instruments from music stores for ridiculously little money and some kids’ schools loan instruments for free!
Myth #9: You have to start music lessons when you are in diapers or it's too late
There is no ideal age for kids music lessons.
There is something to be said for starting early but that is often over-stated.
People who start quite young often develop an ease and naturalness of playing that takes longer to develop for older students.
But it is never too late for kids music lessons and you don’t need to start super early to be successful and have a great time.
Some of our violin students start as young as four or five. Brass players need to be big enough to hold the instrument and blow so they can start as early as ten or eleven.
When kids start music lessons this early they need their parents to be very hands-on about their practicing.
In the traditional Suzuki violin method parents were actually expected to learn the violin with their kids and practice with them each day!
Now when parents enroll their young children in music lessons they need to pay attention (put your phone away!) and try to understand what the teacher is asking for.
It is quite an interesting process – you might be surprised how well structured this whole process is.
Then you need to be there with your child in their practice sessions at first to guide them along the teacher’s recommendations.
You will find the lessons even more engaging as you come to understand the fine points.
You might even be a little disappointed when your kid does not need your help anymore!
Older kids and teenagers have an advantage in that they can be more intentional about their studies and take more responsibility for their practice.
Some older kids still need the support and guidance of loving parents to get the results they want but for some older kids music lessons are an important part of their growing independence.
For them their music lessons are their own special project that involves just them and their music teacher.