Why Take Summer Music Lessons

While school might be out for the summer, children should still keep busy and continue their education. Along with family BBQs, sunny beach days, and other exciting activities that take advantage of the summer weather and increased free time, children can spend more time learning to play an instrument. There are several reasons why children will benefit from getting into summer music lessons this season.

Less Overall Pressure

When students schedule music lessons during the summer, they’ll likely benefit from less pressure as they’re able to focus more on the educational aspect of playing. Oftentimes throughout the school year, students need to prepare for recitals and performances that can put more pressure on them, whereas the summertime offers more opportunities for students to simply focus on learning how to perfect their playing. This can make them even more prepared when performances make a return in the school year, leading to less overall stress year-round.

Bigger Focus on Music

Ordinarily, during the school year, children’s schedules are packed with everything from their daily routine during school hours to outside activities that take up the evening hours, which may include music lessons as a small notch in a long list. This can make it difficult to focus more directly on music when it’s mixed with so many other activities.

Summer changes all of that. Without the piles of homework and other extracurricular activities taking attention away from music, your children will be able to focus more on their music education. Instead of attending baseball practice or completing that tough homework assignment, children can direct their attention to practicing their instrument and continually improving their skills.

Trying Something New

Summer is one of the best times of the year to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. Summer music lessons offer children the chance to try new musical pieces or even a new instrument if they want to expand their skills. For example, your children may want to try to sing both pop songs and classical music or try their hand at the violin. With the freedom of summer and the flexibility that comes with it, children can more freely experiment and get a better feel for what musically suits them.

Keep Their Skill Going

Ordinarily, when children take a lengthy break from music lessons during the summer, it can take as long as weeks or even months to get back the same level of discipline they had in the spring. However, if they continue their music lessons into the summer, they won’t backtrack as they continue to improve.

The fact is that it only takes a few hours of weekly learning and studying to avoid summer regression, along with two months of subject-focused education to improve on current skills. This applies to music along with many other subjects. During the summer, children will have all the time they need to keep developing. This not only helps maintain their existing skills but also enables them to get even better by the time the new school year begins.

Additionally, preventing the effects of summer regression can further motivate children to keep playing once the school year returns. Oftentimes, children get out of practice and may feel less confident returning to an instrument even if they would otherwise want to keep playing. If they can keep up their skills and improve them, they’ll be more likely to remain passionate or be even more adventurous when it comes to playing.

Improvement of Other Skills

Taking music lessons in the summer doesn’t just improve kids’ instrument skills—it can also benefit their brains in other ways. Playing an instrument can help with general focus, spatial reasoning skills, memory, self-regulation, and literacy, along with prosocial behavior. This could prepare children’s minds for the fall when school returns and assist with maintaining overall mental dexterity. Otherwise, many of these skills might wind up dormant during the summer months. Ultimately, learning and playing an instrument can benefit children in their lives at large.

Music Won’t Feel Like Homework

Over the course of a typical school year, children need to complete myriad tasks, including homework, chores, and other duties that they associate with “work.” In the process, kids can perceive extracurricular music lessons and practice as an extension of other homework during the school year. When music lessons become more separate from homework and other elements of a busy school-year schedule, children can take more ownership over their development as musicians.

When playing an instrument and taking lessons during the summer, kids are less likely to view playing and practice as just another of endless tasks. Instead, playing will become a fun and engaging activity that’s no longer bogged down by extensive to-do lists.

Maintain Structure

Summer generally seems to lack a lot of structure, which many people perceive as a benefit. On the other hand, this unstructured environment can eventually lead children to get bored or even go a little stir-crazy. By continuing music lessons and practicing an instrument on a regular schedule, children can benefit from at least a little structure without detracting from the rest of their free time. It essentially keeps their minds organized amid the “chaos” of summer and gives them more focus.

Enroll in Summer Music Lessons to Get the Most from Music Education

All of these benefits and more make summer music lessons invaluable for children of all ages. Students can continue to develop their skills without taking away from other activities, and they can have fun doing it. With the right courses at the right school, children can get the music education they need to grow both musically and personally.

At Grace Music School, we offer top-tier music education along with flexible scheduling to students of all ages. Our goal is to help each of our students realize their full potential as both musicians and as people, so start your child’s musical journey with us today! If you would like more information about our courses or wish to schedule music or vocal lessons, contact us online or give us a call at 631-239-6169 (Fort Salonga) or 631-470-9705 (Melville).