Music Matters

When I was a child, my mother placed me in piano lessons. I enjoyed taking lessons because my friends were doing it as well and I loved being able to learn to play some of my favorite songs on the piano, but I was so terrified once the dreaded recital day arrived. As others took their turn at the piano, my palms started to sweat and I could hardly remember the first few notes. Once my turn arrived, I walked up to the piano praying the whole way. My performance was over quickly, and I felt a sigh of relief that I had gotten through with only a mistake or two.
The sense of pride and relief I felt at accomplishing something so scary motivated me to continue lessons throughout childhood and into high school. I made plenty of mistakes, but I learned that sometimes they just happen, and that’s just how it is. Being in music taught me that life isn’t always predictable and no matter how much you prepare and try to plan out every detail, sometimes things just mess up and you have to start all over again.
Music education is so valuable because it teaches our children to feel inspired and motivated. It teaches teamwork, collaboration and a drive for excellence. One of the best illustrations I’ve heard is that “an 85% on a math test is pretty good. But no student is ever happy only hitting 85% of the notes in a music performance.” In fact, according to an Oxford University Press study from 2006, young children who received a year of musical training showed brain changes and superior memory compared with children who did not receive the instruction.
These children in music lessons actually improved more than others in non-musical abilities such as reading, memory, visual processing, mathematics and overall IQ scores. Learning the language of music at a young age helps creative pathways form in the brain to allow children to make connections in math, science, reading and other languages.
This Saturday at the Goldbug Extension Service, Virgil Bowlin’s Studio Recital will take place at 3 p.m. Virgil’s students of all ages in guitar, violin, mandolin, piano and voice will be facing jittery nerves and a chance to show off what they’ve worked so hard on all year. Feel free to come out and support these individuals and cheer them on once they’ve finished for being brave enough to let their drive to perform well outweigh their fear of making a mistake.

Melissa Bond is the Agent for Fine Arts at the Whitley County Cooperative Extension Service. For more information about upcoming programs and events, call 606-549-7373, visit facebook.com/whitleycountyfinearts or email Melissa.bond@uky.edu