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Buying a Piano
Take your child with you when you go piano shopping. Let her play the instrument to see if she likes the touch and tone. (Tuning will adjust the pitch and will not greatly affect the quality of tone.)
Rule of thumb: Buy the best that you can afford. Good pianos that are regularly maintained hold their value.
Explore a 'rent-to-buy' option from local piano stores.
When buying a used piano check out http://berrypiano.com/buying.htm or www.grenfellpiano.combuying_used_piano.htm for good information. Don't be afraid to check the inside; make sure all the strings are in place and the pins are tight. The hammers and felts should be in good condition.
Other websites that are helpful are: www.baldwinpiano.com (Please note that this is not an endorsement for Baldwin pianos, but rather just a good source of information), and www.kenmahood.com
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Preschoolers benefit from music lessons
Music aids in memory development and retrieval as early as three months of age. (St. John's University and Iona College, 1997)
Preschoolers who studied piano performed 34 per cent better in spatial and temporal reasoning ability than preschoolers who spent the same amount of time learning to use computers. (Rauscher, Shaw, as reported in Neurological Research, February 1997)
Preschoolers who took singing and keyboard lessons scored 80 per cent higher on object-assembly tests than students at the same preschool who did not have the music lessons. (Rauscher & Shaw, as reported in Symphony Sep.-Oct. 1996)
After eight months of keyboard lessons, preschoolers demonstrated a 46 per cent boost in their spatial reasoning IQ. (Music and Spatial Task Performance: A Causal Relationship, Rauscher, Shaw, Levine, KY and Wright, University of California, 1994)
Disadvantaged preschoolers display dramatic improvements in spatial reasoning ability after music training. (Rauscher & Shaw, University of California)
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Elementary students improve in math.........
An in-depth Harvard University study found evidence that spatial-temporal reasoning improves when children learn to make music, and this kind of reasoning improves temporarily when adults listen to certain kinds of music, including Mozart.
The finding suggests that music and spatial reasoning are related psychologically (i.e., they may rely on some of the same underlying skills) and perhaps neurologically as well.
A relationship between music and the strengthening of math, dance, reading, creative thinking and visual arts skills was also cited. (Winner, Hetland, Sanni, as reported in The Arts and Academic Achievement - What the Evidence Shows, 2000)
30 minutes of daily music instruction for one year was credited for increased perceptual-motor skills and creative thinking tests on first grade students. (K.L. Wolff, Doctoral Dissertation, University of Michigan, 1979)
Students in two Rhode Island elementary schools given a sequential, skill-building music program showed a marked improvement in math skills. (Gardiner, Fox, Jeffry, and Knowles, as reported in nature, May 23, 1996)
At risk children who participated in an arts program that included music showed significant increases in overall self-concept. (N.H. Barry, Auburn University, 1992)
Listening to Baroque music while studying can enhance one's ability to memorize spellings, poetry, and foreign words (The Mozart Effect, Don Campbell, 1997)
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Young adult music students score higher on SAT tests.
Students who study music scored higher on both the verbal and math portion of the SAT than non-music students. (College Entrance Examination Board as reported in Symphony, Sep-Oct 1996)
Listening to Mozart's Piano Sonata K448 was found to significantly increase spatial scores of college students on IQ tests. (Rauscher & Shaw, University of California, as reported in Nature)
In a study of medical school applicants, 66 per cent of music majors who applied to medical school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group. Only 44 per cent of biochemistry majors were admitted. (Lewis Thomas, as reported in Phi Delta Kappa, February 1994) |
Adults and the power of music
The very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry are, nearly without exception, practicing musicians. (Grant Venerable, The Center for the Arts in the Basic Curriculum, New York, 1989)
The University of Washington reported in a study of ninety people editing a manuscript, that accuracy in the group listening to classical music increased by 21.3 per cent.
AT&T and DuPont have cut training time in half by using creative music programs.
Equitable Life Insurance increased the output of transcribers by 17 per cent after introducing music to the office.
Mississippi Power & Light raised efficiency in the billing department by 18.6 per cent after instituting a nine-month office listening program. (University of Washington, Business Music: A Performance Tool for the Office/Workplace, 1991)
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