06/27/2026
Last month I was invited to participate in a career fair for a church youth activity. In today's gig economy, the organizers of the event wanted to have examples of "side hustles" for teens to consider as part-time options for stay-at-home parents or for those wanting to supplement their primary job.
Wanna know who came to my booth? The majority were Let's Play Music graduates (not my former students, though, as I've only been teaching 5 years). They spotted the magnetic staff and the tone bells and remembered their childhood experiences and just HAD to come chat it up with me, apparently.
As it turned out, I asked most of the questions, and learned so much! I learned that they reflected with fondness on their early music education. I learned that every single one of them is still participating in at least one ensemble in high school (choir, orchestra, band). A vast majority are still playing an instrument proficiently. Pretty much all of them consider music a joyful component in their lives. And, while almost none of them are aspiring musicians (at least in terms of career choice), they all have high academic aspirations requiring a significant degree of discipline.
Long story short, while most kids will not become professional musicians (albeit a worthy career goal), an early study of music yields benefits that extend far beyond musical proficiency alone. These high school students were smart, they were confident, they were happy, they were social, and they were grateful for music in their lives. Not a statistical analysis (although plenty of data supports all of the above), but a fun reminder for me that a study of music matters! The earlier the better!
