4 Reasons Why Music Lessons are Great for the Whole Family

Considering music lessons for your kids? Why not take them as well?

Before I get into the details about why music lessons are great for every member of the family let me qualify my opinions with a little personal history. I am a fiddler and guitarist that is very involved in my local music community in Oakville, and Burlington both as a performer and as a teacher. I play frequently at local restaurants as well as music festivals in Ontario. My family often joins me at these events so they become an important part of our family time. My son, who is only three, has his own fiddle and though he hasn't got any tunes down yet he is well on his way to learning, and loving music. My wife is a pianist and singer as well as a teacher. So, here are a few reasons why I believe that all families can benefit from learning and sharing music with each other.

1) Music is soothing and relieves stress - The benefits are pretty clear on this one, families just get along better when there is less tension in the house.
2) Respect - Every parent wants their children to respect and look up to them, when you are doing something that you know your kids think is pretty cool it will be easy for them to look up to you.
3) Time together - By putting the whole family into music lessons you are giving everyone something in common. This is something you can all do together. The result will be that you create more quality time together than other families. And, being able to relate to your kids (and your kids relate to you) can be a valuable asset indeed.
4) Support - When everyone in the family is facing the same struggles and triumphs they will be more likely to support and encourage each other.

I know that having music as a common ground in my family keeps us strong and alive in spirit. I urge you to consider learning music together, as a family. It doesn't matter if its piano lessons, guitar lessons, violin lessons, vocal lessons, or even drum lessons. The point is that you can do your family a whole lot of good by learning music together. You know what they say "families that play together, stay together".