The Definitive Guide To Music Lessons

Did you know our Director Samuel Faraci and his wife, Dr. Cassandra Faraci have written a book titled “The Definitive Guide To Music Lessons: Everything You Need To Know About Learning A New Instrument”? Here’s an excerpt that can help you work with your child at home.

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• Gaining mastery of something at one’s own pace. Music lessons are unique in that most of them are private lessons. So many activities are group led (soccer, football, dance….you get the point). While I do believe that there are benefits of those group-led activities as well, there are unique benefits of one-on-one instruction that I want in my children’s lives.
• Persistence. Research shows that one of the (if not THE) most important factors in successful people is the drive to persist in pursuing goals. It’s through repeated practice that brain cells make connections, leading us to be able to master a skill. Through weekly music lessons, persistence is built into the process. They are working on musical pieces that require practice over the course of the week. Often times, the goal is not reached for a few weeks, maybe even months; therefore, committing to an activity like music lessons, by default, is also helping the child develop persistence towards a goal.
• Frustration tolerance. We often tell our own children that mistakes help their brains grow. If a child is playing a musical piece without any mistakes, they are ready for the next level. The process of learning something new involves making mistakes (what we call “learning experiences” in our house), and as even adults know, mistakes are frustrating! By being a positive support person in helping children reframe their mistakes as necessary parts of the learning process, you are helping your child develop great emotional coping skills to use in other situations in which they become frustrated. Music lessons are not just about learning music. There are many other life skills that children learn when they commit to music lessons.