I often hear that music makes you smarter.
I think that's true, but it's not as simple as it sounds. In order to learn music, to learn it on a deep enough level that it becomes meaningful, a student needs to learn “how to learn”.
It's not enough to play the piano for hours a day and expect to see results, and neither can you expect to see better grades just from pouring over school books or expect 3 point basketball shots just because you've thrown thousands of shots. Practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent. A student needs to be able to think critically about what they're doing or they'll repeat the same task over and over without learning anything from it.
That will not make you smarter.
In all of my education, the skill of learning was something rarely talked about, if at all! My goal as a teacher is to make sure this doesn't happen in my studio. I make sure my students understand not only how to correct their mistakes, but how to identify mistakes themselves. I stress the importance of discipline and attention to detail at the piano to prepare students for tackling pieces on their own. Overtime, students in my studio can expect to become independent learners. They will understand how to approach difficult challenges at the piano as well as other areas of their life. They will understand how to learn through critical thinking. So, in my opinion, music doesn't make you smarter, it teaches the skill of learning. This is what you will learn as a student in my piano studio.
I think that's true, but it's not as simple as it sounds. In order to learn music, to learn it on a deep enough level that it becomes meaningful, a student needs to learn “how to learn”.
It's not enough to play the piano for hours a day and expect to see results, and neither can you expect to see better grades just from pouring over school books or expect 3 point basketball shots just because you've thrown thousands of shots. Practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent. A student needs to be able to think critically about what they're doing or they'll repeat the same task over and over without learning anything from it.
That will not make you smarter.
In all of my education, the skill of learning was something rarely talked about, if at all! My goal as a teacher is to make sure this doesn't happen in my studio. I make sure my students understand not only how to correct their mistakes, but how to identify mistakes themselves. I stress the importance of discipline and attention to detail at the piano to prepare students for tackling pieces on their own. Overtime, students in my studio can expect to become independent learners. They will understand how to approach difficult challenges at the piano as well as other areas of their life. They will understand how to learn through critical thinking. So, in my opinion, music doesn't make you smarter, it teaches the skill of learning. This is what you will learn as a student in my piano studio.
