Now, before you start thinking "Well of course all of your children will play an instrument! You're a piano teacher for goodness' sake", hear me out. Yes, I do intend on making sure that all of my children are proficient in an instrument, but not simply because music is obviously my passion. I consider music lessons to be a major investment in their future, both emotionally and financially.1. Music lessons will help my children be more well-rounded.
I believe education in the arts helps us appreciate the world we live in and makes us more sensitive and beautiful people. It gives us a place to escape to when we are sad, depressed, and lonely, and gives us an outlet for rejoicing when words just can't express our exhilaration.
2. It is a scientifically proven fact that music makes you smarter.
The act of playing a musical instrument activates the corpus callosum in the brain - the bridge that connects the left and right hemispheres. This allows both sides of our brain to communicate and exchange ideas. Did you know that as Thomas Jefferson was writing the Declaration of Independence, his landlady reported that whenever his mind became blocked, he would pick up his violin and begin to play? After a short time playing, he would again resume writing. And we all know what a work of genius that document is!
Einstein had a similar problem. At a school age child, his teacher recommended that he quit school and be put into the work force, as he was incapable of intelligence. Instead, his parents bought him a violin, and a miracle happened. All of the intelligent thoughts that existed in one side of Einstein's brain were able to travel over the corpus callosum to the side of his brain that controlled his able to communicate those ideas, Suddenly, he didn't appear so dumb after all!
3. Becoming proficient in an instrument will provide financial security for my childrens' future.
As I said, I am a piano teacher. Where I live, qualified teachers are a valuable commodity. Therefore, I am able to make a considerable contribution to my family's income by teaching a few afternoons a week, and I am able to do so from my home. The ability to do this has been one of the greatest blessings of my life, and I thank my parents for "sticking it out" during the years that I was a reluctant student so that I could gain the proficiency and musical knowledge I needed to be qualified to teach.Were it not for my ability to teach from home, our lives would be very different, since my teaching provides a necessary part of our family's income.
I intend on giving this gift to my children. I want them to have the freedom when they are adults to stay at home and still contribute if they so desire, whether it be to pay their mortgage and bills or simply to provide money for school clothes or vacations for their children each year. The beauty of teaching music lessons is that you can really choose what level of income you would like to bring in. I know a male drum teacher who makes $100,000 a year teaching lessons in his home for about 4 to 6 hours a day. Some teachers with other reliable sources of income in their family choose to teach only a small number of students and therefore may make a few thousand dollars each year to pay for their family vacations or Christmas. Most teachers fall somewhere in between the two.
I do not expect that my children will follow in my exact footsteps and get a degree in music. In fact, I will be the first to admit that getting a music degree is NOT for everybody! I do expect that they will reach the level of knowledge and hands-on experience that will qualify them to teach their chosen instrument through studying under excellent teachers.
Will it be an added expense for me? Yes, especially if I choose not to teach my own children and send them to another teacher, or if my children choose an instrument on which I am not proficient. Is it a sacrifice I am willing to make? Most definitely. In my parents' case, it was an investment that provided great returns for both them and me. I was able to have the last 3 years of my college education at an expensive private university completely paid for due to my piano ability. The first year was largely provided for as well due to tuition, piano, and voice scholarships.
I look at some of my friends who are suffering due to job layoffs and other recession woes right now - some of them are desperately looking for a way to make extra money without having to leave their children in somebody else's care. They often feel trapped because they view themselves as not having any skills that are marketable. Although teaching lessons is definitely not the only way to make money from home, for me it has been a reliable and sizable source of income through the ups and downs of the economy.
I never want my children to feel trapped. I want them to always know that should the need arise, they can turn to teaching and using their talents (freelance musicians can also make good money) to supplement their income.
So do the years of lesson tuition, of prodding and pleading with them to practice, the dozens of recitals, and the occasional temper tantrum on the way to lessons work for me? Yes, I am convinced they will - and they'll work for my children too!
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