Music connects with us even before we come into the world. A preliminary study in the “Music Educators Journal”, 1985 found that babies who were exposed to music before birth had longer attention spans. I used to make the younger one listen to shlokas and soothing music while he was in my womb and when he was born if we played the same music he would stop crying and soothe himself to sleep.

• A 2016 study by University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute  says that musical experiences for kids can accelerate brain development
• National Association of Music Merchants Foundation – learning to play an instrument can improve mathematical learning and improve SAT scores.

When I was growing up, I didn’t learn any musical instrument and when I finally tried learning much later in life it was tough. I made sure both my kids pick up one instrument each and definitely learn to play the keyboard as it forms the base for all instruments. My elder one oscillates between the Roland Keyboard and a guitar and has now even started creating his own music. My younger one is learning to play the keyboard at school and practices at home and I am still far behind both of them even though I started earlier.

I think all kids have a knack when it comes to musical instruments and music. When they play music I feel they get involved totally, it somehow lifts the mood of the household. Both of them take music lessons and are appearing for their respective Trinity exams. For my elder one, his teacher recently asked us to upgrade his keyboard and after some research and on his teacher’s recommendation, we narrowed down the Roland Keyboard E-X20.

Listing down some of the features that helped us to make our decision in favour of the Roland Keyboard E-X20 which you might also find useful:

• The keyboard has authentic piano sounds.
• Built-in Arranger feature that lets play along with full musical accompaniment, getting ready for their first band or orchestra.
• It is light weight, battery operable as well and so it’s easily portable.
• Roland Keyboard E-X20 has 647 tones, 128 voices.
• We can record 10 songs in Roland Keyboard E-X20 and it has 140 internal songs.

The keyboard has been a sound investment and while it might be a tad more expensive then it’s counterparts but all the above features, make it worth it.

The new features of the keyboard have also made him record his creations and he is super excited about it. In fact, now he is watching youtube videos and using apps to create new albums. While it is still at a very nascent stage, I feel this is how he will learn and grow his interests in music.

A lot of parents miss the emphasis on music as the kids get bogged down by studies especially in the higher grades but we all know that music is stress relieving and can help your child during high pressure situations. As for me, I know that when I make sure my kids learn music, I am giving them tools to practice and enhance their confidence, improve  their concentration and a de-stresser for life.