According to research in this Forbes article, piano will make your kid smarter. It’s commonly known that knowing how to play piano, or knowing how to read music in general, can make you “smarter” but what is defined as being “smarter”? We usually hear about how being smart is split up into two categories: street smarts and book smarts. So, how does piano truly benefit the brain?
Well, this article says that IQ’s of 6 year-olds go up approximately three points after nine weeks of lessons. They were compared to other 6 year-olds that attended weekly drama classes and also to another group that didn’t attend either. When the final test deemed the musical kids IQ were significantly higher, that meant it was a big deal. The same researchers are unsure if you would find the same effects in adults, but it’s hypothesized that if the same is true it would talk much longer to see.
Reference: Sorry, Kids, Piano Lessons Make You Smarter
As the father of a 6-year-old, I am grateful that my daughter has developed a love of playing both the piano and violin. Did you play a musical instrument growing up? Do you continue to play an instrument today?
Yes! Growing up I played the piano, clarinet and oboe. As a music therapist today, I still play the piano, guitar, various percussion instruments, the ukulele and sing.