So You Want Your Child to be a Rocket Scientist? Take Music Lessons

Research done at the University of California-Irvine indicates that young children taking music lessons have a greater ability to grasp concepts that are also essential to math and science. Coordination and concentration are also improved when, for instance, children take piano lessons and learn to play a different line of music with each hand. For that matter, take drum lessons and use all four limbs independently.

The world is full of music. It is one of the truly universal ties that binds us all. Introduce your kids to all types of music. Rock, jazz, classical, brazillian, african, middle eastern, etc. and all the variants. Also realize that good music can be found in all different types of music. You can find quality anywhere if you are open to it. Check out Radiohead's new album Rainbow for instance. You don't have to be 20 something to appreciate it. And if you like Radio Head's new album, check out a couple other groups that may be lesser known to you like: Blue Nile or My Morning Jacket.

When my kids were young, I would play classical music in the car at times and ask them what the music was about. Sometimes it was about storms, monsters, the rising sun, or flying. Sometimes it was happy or sometimes it was sad. Sometimes it had the sound of water or the rush of wind. Listen to Vivaldi or Prokofiev. Can you hear the french troops getting closer in Tchaikovsky as the children play?

If your child decides to take music lessons, look for a teacher who has a good rapport with your child. By all means, if you have a school that has cut out music instruction, bring the importance of music to the attention of the school board!

It's never too late to be what you wanted to be. If you want to learn to play an instrument yourself, take some lessons! Be the example.