“All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.”

Yes, you can argue that this famous quote and book title by minister and author Robert Fulghum is flawed. After all, advanced calculus or quantum physics are not your typical topics five year olds routinely master.

However, for the purpose of this blog, let’s not be such purists. The general idea here is that young children are naturally curious, creative, and motivated to learn new things – a great time to expose them to music.

While there is no guarantee that this early start will turn them into prodigies or even lifetime music aficionados (though we can certainly hope this will happen), the immediate effects of music training are well documented: sharper learning skills, improved motor coordination, and better emotional stability.

Those are compelling reasons to strike while the iron is hot (in the manner of speaking, of course) – certainly before your sweet child turns into a burly and defiant teenager, for whom “music” means harsh-sounding, ear-shattering sounds of heavy metal, not the soft and mellow tunes.

True, all you, as a parent, can do is guide and encourage them while they still listen (and maybe even look up) to you.

From the mouths (and fingers) of babes

So many of the most prominent musicians and composers started to “dabble” in music at a very young age and had become masters of their art.

The best known, perhaps, is the ultimate “child prodigy,” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who famously started learning the keyboard instrument called the clavier at the age of three, and by five he was composing minuets.

Ludwig van Beethoven too was an early starter: he played the piano at the age of five, gave his first public performance at seven, and composed his first piece of music at 11. In both Mozart’s and Beethoven’s cases, parental guidance was crucial: Wolfgang’s father, Leopold, and Ludwig’s dad, Johann, were driving forces behind their sons’ musical training. We don’t know whether these two youngsters had to cajoled into playing, but the result was truly amazing!

There were others, too. Frederic Chopin began to play the piano at five. Violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin started music lessons at four, playing his first concert at seven. The list is truly endless.

Better late than never

What if you didn’t start your music training in childhood? Is it ever too late to begin? We can’t say this empathically enough: when it comes to music (or learning in general), there is no such thing as “missing the boat.” Music training is one boat you can easily catch midstream.

Just ask Andrea Bocelli . The world-renowned Italian tenor started his opera career at 34, even though some “experts” warned him that it was too late to begin.

We are here to tell you otherwise – that there is no such thing as the “wrong” time to start playing an instrument or taking voice lessons, and don’t let any so-called “experts” or other naysayers dissuade you.

Fact is, adults of any age can derive many benefits from music, just as children do. As Greek philosopher Plato put it, “Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul.”

Who can argue with that?

Not for kids only

Now, we can’t promise you that your child will become another Mozart (or Einstein, for that matter), but with our Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Riverdale in-home music lessons, he or she will be able to learn to play an instrument in the comfort of your own home.

As we stated above, playing music is a wonderful activity for people of all ages – whether you are a late bloomer, a baby boomer, or just a “regular” adult. Remember: the oldest violins make the sweetest music.

We bet you didn’t learn THAT in kindergarten!

Photo by Angel of light

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Music is good for human beings –it makes us calmer, smarter, more emotionally balanced, and happier. We are not exactly reinventing the wheel here because the beneficial effects of music are well known.

But wait – let’s take this one step farther. Did you also know that non-humans enjoy playing music as well? This news comes from an unlikely (at least in this context) institution – Smithsonian’s National ZOO in Washington D.C, which has its animals playing various musical instruments.

Now, this may sound like monkey business, but the zoo’s management explained in a statement that musical activities “allow animals to demonstrate their species-typical behavior, to allow them to exercise control or choice over their environment, and to enhance their well-being.” The zoo concedes that while animals wouldn’t necessarily encounter a keyboard or the harmonica in the wild, “the activity engages their sight, touch and hearing senses.”

What this means is that ALL creatures large and small, and not just humans, draw benefit from music.

The zoo is alive with the sound of music

In all fairness, the zoo doesn’t claim that its animals are virtuoso musicians. As these videos demonstrate, at very best they could be categorized as beginners, but they should certainly get applauded for being curious and enthusiastic – the very same qualities that human musicians should have.

Having said that, otters could very well be an exception. The zoo gave them a keyboard and reports that the mammals have mastered the music of “Chopsticks” (also known as – even more appropriately – “The Flea Waltz”) and advanced “to something bolder, more expressive and individualistic”.

Here are more “awww” moments: an orangutan playing the xylophone and a bear blowing into the harmonica . We are not quite sure what melody the bear cub is playing but we’d like to think it is, fittingly enough,  “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

Not a dog and pony show

At Hey Joe Guitar, we are animal lovers. However, we will not give music lessons to your pets – whether you own a dog, cat, zebra, or an orangutan. Our teachers are well trained and highly qualified, but their experience is limited to humans (we are not saying animals can’t be taught to play, but we are not the ones to teach them!)  Just like a leopard can’t change his spots, we can’t make a horse play the guitar either!

But if you, your child, or another (two-legged) family member would like to learn an instrument, we’ll come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale (Bronx) home or office to give you lessons. We won’t even mind if your animal sits in on the lesson – talk about the proverbial elephant in the room!

Photo by Christina Quinn

The post A NYC Music School That’s Not For the Birds appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.