Is Your Child a Lifer?
As many of you probably know, we started a brand new week of camp this week, the first of the summer in fact. Monday morning drop off was a flurry of cheerful parents, excited kids, mostly pumped and eager, others perhaps a bit nervous for the first day. BMF teachers old AND new, Peira greeting kids and instantly setting them at ease with her positive energy, and of course Nate, outside playing a drum, already starting to make music bright and early.
(*Side note* I’m AMAZED, but it’s really no surprise, that although we are not in our building, the camp vibe is incredible, and our BMF families prove time and time again that our community is far stronger than a brick and mortar building. It’s the people that make camp the special thing that it is.)
In the morning drop off line I overhear, “Oh yeah, she’s a BMF lifer,” not once, but THREE separate times Monday morning, as parents were chatting, which really made me smile. We’re all about the self proclaimed BMF-Lifers, but there’s something hidden in that proclamation that’s even MORE important to us at BMF. Being a musician for life.
Benefits of Playing Music
There are zillions of reasons to play music for life, and I’m not talking about becoming a career musician, although that is fantastic too, I’m talking about the joy of playing an instrument, making music with other humans, and finding greater creative confidence that absolutely carries over into whatever you choose to focus your life on.
As a musician myself, I always enjoy a quick reminder of the scientific benefits of WHY it’s important to play music. Here are just a few!
Playing Music:
- Relieves stress
- Increases the brain’s ability to concentrate
- Increases brain growth (especially when you start early before age 7!)
- Continues to strengthen and exercise your brain as an adult
- Increases spatial-temporal skills in Pre-schoolers
- Builds strong connections and relationships with other humans
- Enhances communication skills and ability to work as a team
- Makes you feel JOYFUL! Making music is FUN!
I don’t know about you, but all of these sound pretty incredible to me. How can you encourage your child to be a musician for life? (And how about yourself for that matter??) To bring this all back down to earth, our Week 1 camp kids are exploring their own creativity, trying new instruments for the first time, working as a team to write original songs, and are without a doubt building a strong foundation to stay musicians for life.
Your fellow lifer,
Kathryn
BMF Teacher & Marketing Director
P.S. You don’t have to be a professional to be a musician for life:
