A few years ago, Governor of Georgia Zell Miller came up with the idea of sending every newborn child in the state—approximately 100.000 children a year—home from the hospital with a CD of classical music.

Scientific studies have shown that early musical training shapes children’s growing brains and boosts their learning power, aiding in the development of logic, abstract, thinking, memory and creativity. Dr. Mark Tramo, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School says: “We believe a handful of neural codes is used by the brain, so exercising the brain through music strengthens other cognitive skills. It’s like saying if you exercise your body by running, you enhance your ability not only to run, but also to play soccer and basketball.”

Music should be taught before anything else. Smart school principals encourage students to take daily music classes because academic achievements resulting from this approach can be impressive. With music lessons, children focus on the task and listen better to directions. Music teaches them to be confident and to believe in themselves.

There are many reasons to teach music to children, and enhancing their brain power is only one of them. Music can soothe emotions and excite enthusiasm. It gives us a sense of cultural identity.

The Allegro Music Academy is the largest music, dance and etiquette school in Manatee and Sarasota counties. We start music and dance classes as early as 3 to 4 years old. After 5 years old, we offer lessons on all musical instruments and voice. Music lessons at this age improve the musical ear, rhythm, memory, coordination and concentration. We help school age children through music to fight ADD syndrome. In adults, we can fight the affects of Alzheimer’s with music, which is shown to improve memory and concentration. For more information, call 941-358-8511. Allegro Music Academy is located at 241 Whitfield Ave., Sarasota. All our teachers have a university degree in music.

We offer private and group classes for all instruments, dance and etiquette classes. Summer Camps 2017 are scheduled for June–August.

Dr. Margaret Goreshnik is director of Allegro Music Academy.