MUSIC HELPS KIDS THRIVE

Children Thrive Through Music

by Holly Spencer

s we all continue to adjust to the uncertainties around us, there is one thing we can be sure of: MUSIC HELPS! Learning A an instrument and growing through music is even more beneficial during times of stress and unease. Now is a perfect time to start. That’s where String Academy comes in!

This year, classes will look a little different so students can stay safe. Our wonderful teachers have created an online program for the fall that will continue to bring these special classes to your home. And we will still provide the instrument!

The long-term benefits of music education are well known, especially for children. Putting small instruments into small hands opens the door to a new world! ESYO provides half and three-quarter size instruments to fit any child, and our scholarship program makes it possible for children of all backgrounds to learn violin, viola, cello or bass.

Decades of research has shown the positive connection between active participation in music and increased aptitude in many other areas of learning. Recently, a 7-year study by the University of Southern California indicates that musical training is beneficial for children’s brains – and the study focused on children who were learning to play the violin! Findings showed that this can strengthen language and communication as well as engaging areas responsible for decisionmaking, focusing attention and inhibiting impulses.

Students learn quickly! Even children who are shy or unsure in the beginning become quickly absorbed with these mysterious “things with strings.” Pluck? Sure, I can do that! Hold it with just my chin? No problem!

The transformation we see in children between when they open a violin case for the first time in October and perform for an audience by February is nothing short of remarkable! By the end of the school year, these new young musicians can read music, follow their conductor, and play over 100 songs. Families delight in their concerts, (often with looks of disbelief!), as they witness the obvious joy radiating from their children’s faces.

For our community, it’s so important for

children to start young in order to re-build school music programs. Most secondary schools in Eugene are unable to support robust orchestras, partly for lack of strings instructions at the elementary school level.

Children also benefit from many social skills learned through participation in musical groups. Cooperation, discipline, responsibility, and self-awareness are all part of the package. Expressing themselves through music can help children feel safe with their feelings, and have a place to share their creative energy.

All of these benefits can last a lifetime. Since its very beginnings in 1934, ESYO has heard from countless youth orchestra alumni that their experience was a precious time, if not a turning point, in their lives. From first-year String Academy classes to top-notch symphony orchestras, ESYO gives children and youth a chance to learn, grow, lead and PLAY!

If you are interested in trying String Academy for your child, take a look at the Eugene-Springfield Youth Orchestras (ESYO) web site: http:// esyorchestras.org/programs/string-academy-i/