More young children taking formal music lessons

INDIANAPOLIS -- His stockinged feet barely touching the floor, Adam Hammerle scoots to the edge of the piano bench for practice. He's one-fifth the weight of the instrument, but when his fingers press the keys to perform "A Snail's Dream," Adam takes control of the shiny black grand.\nHe takes a 30-minute lesson once a week, and he practices 10 to 15 minutes daily. At age 7, he's performed his first recital and already knows more music theory than his mother, Patti Hammerle, 38.\nAdam, a Brownsburg Elementary first-grader, is among a growing number of youngsters enrolling in formal music lessons at an early age. Some instructors teach children as young as 4; others prefer to wait until the children can read. Some instructors say that, because more children are attending preschool -- and thereby being introduced to music in class -- they are interested in music lessons at an earlier age.\nThe decision usually falls to parents, many of whom view music as an alternative to sports or other extracurricular interests.\nAdam has tried every sport that his big brother, Matthew, 9, has played, but his passion is music, said Patti Hammerle, who played clarinet in IU's Marching Hundred.\nLike many parents, Hammerle knows firsthand that the benefits of music extend beyond pure enjoyment.\n"Parents know that music carries our culture forward. If you want your child to be culturally literate, then you want him to study or listen to music," said Michael Blakeslee of the National Association for Music Education in Reston, Va.\n"Music isn't a magic pill, but there are a variety of studies that show how music supports a child's development," said Blakeslee.\nSome of those benefits include socialization, cooperation and mental agility, Blakeslee said. Other studies suggest that music helps children focus on the structure of sounds, an important aspect in language development, Blakeslee said.\nThe challenge comes when parents set their expectations too high, hoping for instant results, Blakeslee said. The teaching method needs to match the child's age, interest and maturity, he said:\n"Even when you hold an infant, sing to him and rock him gently, you are being a music teacher."\nAdam started his music lessons as soon as he expressed interest. When he was a year old, he attended Kindermusik, an international program for parents and children.\n"We're keeping the instruments available to him, and we're trying not to push too hard," Patti Hammerle said.\nAdam's second-story bedroom shows the depth of his interest -- a new drum set joins several other instruments, including a banjo with a broken string, a guitar that he bought for $20, a keyboard, an accordion, a violin and a dulcimer.\nEventually, he'd like to learn the electric guitar, but for now, he's content with piano lessons.\nChoosing an instrument can be tricky. In the majority of public schools, students can add band as an elective in sixth grade.\nCraig Middle School band director Steve Meurer demonstrates the various instruments to elementary students and encourages them to try them out before making a choice.\n"We also give them a music aptitude test, which helps us steer them toward the instrument that might be the best choice for their pitch and rhythm," he said.\nMusic lessons at any age are an investment in time and money.\nMarv and Deanna Thornsberry of New Palestine pay $18 for each of their three sons to take a private half-hour lesson once a week. They chose instructors by asking friends for recommendations.\nHunter, 12, plays drums; Tanner, 11, plays electric guitar; and Connor, 8, plays bass.\nThe boys are partial to classic rock 'n' roll -- an interest that started after they watched the movie "The School of Rock," about a wannabe rock star who turns a prep-school class into a rock band.\n"They laughed when I bought a Deep Purple album until they realized the song 'Smoke on the Water' was straight from the movie," said Marv Thornsberry.\nNow, the boys practice together so often that they've started making public appearances.\n"They're all three A students, and I believe music has helped them keep their grades up, and most of all I think it's helped boost their confidence," their dad said.