Invest in Futures

Early Childhood Music

Out of the mouth of babes and unweaned infants...

Invest in Futures

Ms. Denie Riggs

Early Childhood Music®

Yamaha has a picture in one of our schools depicting children gathered around a keyboard. The caption reads, “Invest in Futures.” Although this picture has been hanging around for several years, I never really ‘got it’ until recently when compiling the academic profiles of nine children who had just completed our program.

Their profiles read like the Who’s Who of the seven-year-olds! Each of the graduates had achieved some amazing accomplishments in their very young lives. All nine reported straight “A’s”, top reading scores, science and mathematics scores in their classes. They also led their peers in social skills, performing skills, sports, confidence, musicianship and more. Included in this elite group of seven-year-olds was the Alabama state winner of the PTA Reflections composition music contest for 2004, Tiny Tim of the Huntsville Playhouse, the leading role in La Boheme and the only child invited to sing solo in the Huntsville opera this past Christmas. All of the children are reading at least 4^th grade level in first/second grade. One parent reported their child scored 141 on their IQ test.

If it had been just one or two of the students excelling, we would have said, “WOW, what great kids.”

But with the entire graduating class reporting the same achievements, we have to stop and say, “WOW, what power in music!”

The parents of these children had invested financially in at least four years of music lessons. They had invested in quality time given to daily practice, HomePlay sheets and performing events.

Time and dollars spent on music lessons invested into their children's lives produced better results than if they had taken those dollars and secured them a very good college fund. Why?

Because piano-based music lessons in very early childhood prepare children’s brains for brilliant futures. The enhanced circuitry brings about higher intelligence required for mathematics, chess, engineering careers, law or medical degrees. That wiring lasts a lifetime! Academic grades and scholarships are just one by-product.

Recently a friend’s son, preparing to graduate high school, had been seeking a high ACT score so that he could gain entrance into his chosen college. Secondary to that was his desire to earn a scholarship. He tested and re-tested. Not scoring sufficiently, he studied and was tutored. Then he tested and retested again. His parents stood helplessly by, and prayed.

As parents of very young children, you have the opportunity to do more to equip your child for their future.

Let’s look at some facts:

· 66% of music majors who apply to medical school are accepted, the highest percentage of any group. Only 44% of biochemistry majors are admitted.

· Musicians achieve higher grade point averages (GPA) than non-musicians in the same school do.

· Music students achieve higher ACT scores and other college entrance exam scores.

· Children who received piano/keyboard training performed 34% higher on tests measuring spatial-temporal ability than others.

· There is a window of opportunity in young children. Because neural connections are responsible for all types of intelligence, a child’s brain develops to its full potential only with exposure to the necessary enriching experiences in early childhood.

· The piano is the instrument of choice because its keyboard gives children both a linear and audible representation of the relationship between sounds. When a child plays the piano and sings, nothing can surpass the brain-function enhancement achieved.

· We were created to make music. Singing and playing music must be a part of everything we do. Musical foundations achieved in their early years pay non-musical dividends for the rest of their life.

Give Them the Best Start!! ♫