Music should be a part of every child's life

Music should be a part of every child's life:

"The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Sunday, September 14, 2008

Re: Playing's the thing, Sept. 3.

As the director of Ottawa's Yamaha Music School, I congratulate Grania Litwin for her article as it makes parents aware of the importance of music education in children's lives.

I do disagree with the statement that 'whatever instrument the child chooses isn't important.' I find this very misleading for parents who are deciding whether to register their children in music lessons.

When someone depresses a piano key, it produces a pleasant sound that is in tune and at pitch. The reward is instantaneous. An immediate sense of accomplishment is evident. None of these characteristics are present in the instruments stated in this article. For other instruments, first you must learn to create the sound, and only then can you begin to make music.

Piano is the most visual instrument: the concepts of pitch and reading are much easier to convey to a music student on a piano.

It is also the best instrument on which to learn harmony, and one on which a musician can play both melody and harmony at the same time. There is by far more music written for piano than any other instrument.

A parent should be made aware of the advantages and disadvantages when choosing an instrument for their child. A student who is entering university for a music degree in any instrument other than piano still has to show proficiency in piano at quite a high level. Learning to play the piano gives a tremendous advantage to play any other instrument.

It is my strong belief that music should be a part of every child's life. The piano is the king of all instruments."