Weighing The Cost Of Music Lessons… Are They Worth It?

 First off, music lessons build confidence in several ways. We work with students to set goals, whether it be learning a new chord, completing a new piece of music, or performing at one of our monthly recitals. Setting and achieving goals with our students is an important part of the confidence-building process, as upon completing their goal, students realize that “they can do it!”. Weekly, I have students come in for their lesson, excited to perform their practice piece for me, anticipating the pat on the back they’ll receive after their successful performance! Every lesson at NHTunes ends with a review of the student’s practice points for the week; i.e. their goals for the next lesson.

Music recitals also build confidence. We feel that live performances are an inherently important part of the confidence building process; so much so that we

hold them at an outside venue monthly at no cost to the student. The piece performed by the student isn’t really important; what is important is that the students have a good performance experience. Time after time, the first students to sign up for a next recital are those who just completed the last one. These students are overcoming their performance anxieties, and are building confidence through an excellent live performance experience. Performance experience is also a key component of overall musicianship.

Music lessons give students a focus and sense of purpose. This can be an especially important benefit for teenage students, as they may struggle with finding their way through the pressures of growing up.  Music can engage them and provide a positive structure and focal point; music becomes a meaningful and exciting part of their life, helping them through their teenage years.

Music lessons can be an important part of a student’s social life. Upon starting lessons, students will immediately see themselves as a musician. They will identify with other musicians on their level, and will make new acquaintances through their music. As students grow older, the social opportunities provided as a musician will only grow, and many music students go on to being active in the arts & performance programs at universities, furthering their social networking. Simply put, music will help students to be socially active within their own ‘community’.

Lastly, learning an instrument teaches students patience and discipline. With the instant gratification mindset of today’s world, it’s refreshing to see students put great time and energy into learning and mastering their instrument. As everybody ages, these skills are an important part of everyday life. Mastering an instrument through years of study and practice will undoubtedly aid in development of these skills.

Let’s not forget why the student takes music lessons: because they are FUN!  We try our best to make their lesson enjoyable; something for the student to look forward to, while moving forward on improving their skill, which in turn builds confidence, and the other benefits that go along with learning an instrument.

So, are music lessons worth it? With all of the developmental benefits that music lessons provide, it’s hard to argue against them. The next time your child mentions that they’d like to learn an instrument, you should be all over it; better yet, take the imitative and ask them first!