At Brooklyn Charter School, our curriculum and school philosophy make ample room for the arts of music and dancing.  Some parents may wonder why we place such an emphasis on these non-STEM areas, but musical arts are vital to the development of a student’s young brain. Just as sports have been associated with important life lessons like teamwork and pursuit of a specific goal, music has many educational benefits that may not be apparent at first glance.

Music Teaches Positive Personality Traits

Music is at the center of what it means to be human. Present in every known culture, music appears to be written on the human soul. Encapsulating emotion and logic together in one art form, music can have many positive effects on a young person’s personal development. For example, kids who study music build confidence in themselves as they achieve milestones such as finding a rhythm or playing certain previously unreachable notes. They also learn discipline, learn how to deal with the pressure and anxiety of expectation, and find an outlet of relaxation for the stress of daily life. All of this leads to healthy personalities and confident leaders of the future.

Music Teaches Skills for the Future

In addition to helping a young person develop a strong, independent personality, practicing music actually aids in important life skills. Music students tend to develop better spatial awareness, which is an important skill in more advanced levels of mathematics. Music and dancing teach students coordination over their bodies. Also, playing and reading music has been shown to improve mathematical thinking by developing a child’s ability to recognize persistent patterns. Part of what has made humans the dominant species on this planet is our ability to recognize patterns, and music is, at its core, a pattern of sounds. In fact, music students tend to have better SAT scores than students who do not study music.

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If you have any questions about how your child is introduced to music, contact Brooklyn Charter School here. For more information on the benefits of music, check out the National Association for Music Education.