At Fiddlestick Music we love music and teach because we believe that music is the key to the soul.  We believe that every child has unlimited potential to be a great person and that a way to unlock that potential is through studying music.  Music provides the perfect opportunity to build life skills and character without directly saying, do this, do that.                                                                                      

HOW Music Builds Life Skills-

While learning a musical instrument students learn dedication, goal setting, time management, accountability and self-discipline. Just showing up for lessons each week takes responsibility.  Students learn how to listen honestly through observation because in order to polish a piece of music it takes perspective.  It takes the ability to step back and assess strengths and weaknesses. It takes critical thinking.

Learning music is like putting a puzzle together. Through attention to detail to the many small parts the bigger picture is created. Phrasing, articulation, notes, rhythm, intonation, fingering,(all of the little details) come together to form the piece.  A student quickly learns the ability to multi-task!

Listening skills are also critical. The ability to be quiet and take something in is a skill many students in today's busy world can greatly benefit from. Many music students excel in school studies simply because they have developed the skill of listening and remembering what they just heard. They are able to easily process information their teachers are presenting.

Performing music provides an opportunity to work together as a group to accomplish a shared goal.  It also builds confidence as it takes belief in oneself to put one's self out there in a solo performance. In order to play music, one must 'think on their feet', adapt and be flexible.  Each time a piece of music is played, there are small nuances that change.  Music is creativity in motion.

Music is emotion projected in sound.  For many students, music provides a window of how to relate to feelings that they are experiencing that they do not have the words for.  Music is a safe way to express emotions.

Music is about trusting that something exists because you can feel it and hear it, not because you can see it.  You cannot see sound waves, but you can certainly hear them.

Music improves motor function, especially fine motor skills. Music lessons can be extremely rewarding for students who are rigid in fine motor skills. As they learn their instrument, their fingers, hands, and arms naturally learn new patterns which strengthen their skills. Numerous studies state that increased motor function increases brain function.  Music is one of the few things in life that connects the right and left brain function.

The rhythm of music strengthens the ability to master math skills through subdividing the beat.

Most importantly, music takes patience. Our lives are full of instant gratification, fast food, cheap clothes, internet etc. Music is real-time. You cannot learn a piece just by pushing a button and paying for it.  It takes time.  Character traits are strengthened through this time.  Students will learn  how to deal with mistakes.   They will begin to understand that mistakes do, will and should happen for growth to occur.  Through learning music they see that mistakes are not a failure, but an opportunity for learning and growth.  They gain the ability to progress and move on and not dwell on a mistake. 

Music is real life in surround sound~ 

~Welcome to the studio~

Summer and Jeff Brackhan