You’ve probably heard of the studies claiming music makes you smarter. These studies are actually true. But as one particular study shows, any area of mastery can do the same. It can be drama or martial arts. Essentially the brain is a muscle, and the more it is used and connects more effectively – the better. Some students do have true prodigal abilities, this is usually an electrical advantage. Occasionally Aspberger or autistically abled children can reach a genius level of playing in a relatively short amount of time.

Going down the path of the brain-muscle relationship, we have to discuss true genius. Genius is usually the 10,000 hour mark. We often hear that kids can learn languages faster than adults – but it’s more likely that they are closer to the 10,000 hours much sooner of exposure in multiple languages. When we see toddlers playing concertos, we have to look at the parents. Unfortunately more often than not, these toddlers aren’t prodigy or genius but just forced to play all day long. This ultimately leads to burnout.

A quick test to find out whether a young child is truly genius or not is to test for understanding structures rather than mechanical perfection. A question like “how could this chord be changed” which a normal musician would understand could be answered if it’s a genius. However if they can only play the song as written, they are likely forced to play all day.

Charlotte fortunately has quality music lessons right here on this site. We can help expand the brain in a safe way and avoid the burnout we often hear about. Teaching has to be well rounded, and we know this. It may be true that you can learn how to play a song in 5 lessons using another method, but what’s the point if you can’t explain what’s actually happening in the music. Being a robot isn’t fun and connecting with the music.