We are in week seven of our eight-week recreational music making piano classes. This has been such a great experience. We launched four classes. Three were targeted at adults and one for upper elementary to young teens. Two of the adult classes were scheduled during the afternoon hours.

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Some observations:

1. Students love the classes! They have fun. They enjoy being together. They come in eager to learn and open to try things. I’ve worked hard to create an environment that is conducive to being one’s self. We’ve said from the very beginning and I repeat weekly that we will laugh and have fun together in this journey even while we make mistakes. I purposefully point out my own occasional mistakes just to let them know that no one is perfect, not even a teacher. The result has been an atmosphere where everyone gives it a shot. They’re all at different levels of growth, and we emphasize that is perfectly fine.
2. The fact that we have a variety of levels in the same class has not been a problem. In the beginning, I feared that some of the more experienced students would grow weary that there were others in the class who had no experience. We started together from the beginning putting everyone at the same place of progression. This was a good review for some and they communicated that they benefited from that experience. I’m careful not to point out when someone is struggling or falling behind, but rather keep asking the questions, “How did that go?” And “Is there anything I can help you with?” Sometimes they ask for help and other times they don’t.
3. The students love when I allow time for them to ask questions and even introduce some musical experiences and ideas they haven’t tried. We’ve talked about everything from vocal ranges (helps one to find middle C by ear) to orchestras and stringed instruments. We spent a large portion of a class one week doing improvisation and every one of them kept up and loved it! Private lessons would enable us to tighten or focus and progress faster, but group lessons allow us to explore and appreciate music and grow holistically as musicians and music lovers.
4. Students developed relationships quickly. They are concerned when someone misses. They help each other. They have become friends and share ideas and experiences with each other. Often times, I feel the students leave with more knowledge that they shared with each other than I brought in my lesson plan. I love the fact that I can coordinate and lead this and in terms of relevance of lesson plan, the class topics organically go exactly where they need to go and I simply facilitate.

I continue to learn from each class every time we meet. Recreational music making class teaching has challenged me to be more careful in lesson planning, but at the same time challenged me to think on my feet and adapt to the needs at hand. Most of all, I have the enjoyment to see people discover new things and find joy in learning a new skill and creating music.

Last week, our new RMM program was given a nice article in a regional newspaper. The article was well-written and gave a great description of our program, but the headline bothered me a lot. "In the Key of Fun" read the headline with a subtitle "...aiming at a wider audience by making [piano lessons] fun." 
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It left me with the question, "So traditional piano lessons aren't fun?" 

I'm sure I used the word "fun" in the interview and am therefore the reason for that headline, but I also remember using the word "joy" many times, yet that wasn't highlighted in the story. Why is it that we crave "fun" but are mistaking a momentary emotion like "fun" or "happy" be what we are looking for when deep inside, we crave release, freedom, relaxation, all of which I feel are better encapsulated in the simple word, "joy." 

Recreational Music Making has some distinctives that I am going to highlight today.

Musical expression is one of these and the greatest benefit of musical expression is a general sense of accomplishment. This improves life, builds self-esteem, increases confidence, and gives us joy.

A 2003 study by Barry Bittman, MD that was published in Focus on Caregiving showed that patients who participated in an RMM program were able to decrease the need for doctor visits due to stress. A 1998 study by Frederick Tims, Chair of Music Therapy at Michigan State University showed that elderly participants in RMM programs had increased levels of human growth hormone. Masatada Wachi published a study in the Medical Science Monitor 2007 showing workers who participated in RMM programs had less burnout. RMM has enabled companies to have less employee turnover and has proven to be an excellent team building exercise.

Those of us who are musicians understand this "joy" and this "fun." We know it is much deeper than just fun, but it helps to see actual studies that show specific benefits and improvements in those participating in a Recreational Music Making program. 

That is one of the primary reasons that as we launch this new program, three of the four sessions are for adults. We know the benefit is there and hope this new class contributes to the better wellness of people in our community. 

http://www.themusictherapycenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/provider_magazine_article.pdf
https://millerps.com/making-music-fun-and-good-for-you/
http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/17261984