What do we want for our kids? We want them to be healthy and happy. After they graduate, we’d like these young people to find work that makes a difference, that they are good at, and that makes a difference in the world. At the minimum we hope they find friends and stay out of jail. Staying off drugs is important, too. But how does music affect all of these things?

            Music can have incredible impacts on one’s life. How does make a person healthier? Music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory, according to John Hopkins Medicine. What about happier? School of Frock reports that music builds neural pathways throughout the brain, especially in the corpus callosum, a band of tissue that connects the two hemispheres of the brain. Neurologists believe this leads to increased problem-solving and greater emotional resilience. Playing the piano for even a few minutes a day can lead to a boost in self-esteem and a more positive outlook, Piano in a Flash reports.

            What can a small library do to help children in our community begin their journey of making music? It starts with singing at story time. (Ideally it starts when the pregnant mother brings her toddler to story time and the younger sibling inside her is already listening to all of the songs we sing). By teaching parents and children songs that they can sing together at home, the musical journey begins. Singing simple nursery rhymes helps kids when they start learning to read because they are able to sing the words in the books from memory when they look at familiar songs, and they start to make the connection between the words they are singing and the words they are seeing.

            During the Summer Reading Program, the library hosted a weekly ukulele classes (ukuleles, leis, and Hawaiian shirts provided ) for all levels of uke players. Kid and adults came to learn, play, and sing, and several people ending up buying their own ukuleles to keep playing at home after the 10 weeks ended.

            The next step in supporting the musical journey for our kids was offering music practice time, which our library did every Tuesday and Thursday after school last year. Kids could bring their flutes, clarinets, recorders, or any band instruments, and the children’s librarian would work with them as they were learning to read their music and play their songs. Because of the mostly sound-proof glass surrounding the children’s room in the library, this worked great, and it was amazing to see the significant progress that is possible when there is dedicated and consistent attendance at a program like this.

            This August, our library stepped into music at the next level by starting Group Piano Time every Tuesday and Thursday. Because it was immediately so popular, there are now two sessions of kids on Tuesday, and two different groups that meet on Thursday. The library had purchased six piano keyboards for the program and had to borrow an additional three keyboards to provide enough for everyone to be able to play. Many parents have expressed their gratitude for these piano sessions. Our town used to have four piano teachers, but they have all retired or moved away. These piano times are the only opportunity most of the children have for in-person piano instruction.

            The piano sessions include sharing the compositions the children create on their own and using a basic book for fundamentals. We play a different game each time to teach rhythm, note recognition, and/or ear training for intervals. Kids are checking out more books that the library has on piano music, and they are eager to share what they learn at the Library’s Holiday Open House at the beginning of December. Hopefully music will continue to be a part of each child’s life for a very long time.

-Holly Davis, Childrens’ Librarian