Summer is the Perfect Time to Get Children in Tune with Piano Lessons

PHILADELPHIA, PA – – With schools out in only a handful of weeks, parents are going to be looking for ways to keep their kids learning and in tune for the next school year.

Tuning your child into a better student may be as simple as music to your ears. “Music researchers are finding correlations between music making and some of the deepest workings of the human brain. Research has linked active music making with increased language discrimination and development, math ability, improved school grades, better-adjusted social behavior, and improvements in “spatial-temporal reasoning,” – a cornerstone for problem solving,” According to Richard Galessini Owner of Cunningham Pianos of Germantown, PA and a professional musician who has been researching the “Mozart Effect” as it is referred to, for years.

Galessini cited a study at the University of California at Irvine that demonstrated that young kids who participated in music instruction showed dramatic enhancements in abstract reasoning skills. “In fact, researchers have found neural firing patterns that suggest that music may hold the key to higher brain function,” he added.

Research at McGill University in Montreal, Canada showed that grade-school kids who took music lessons scored higher on tests of general and spatial cognitive development, the abilities that form the basis for performance in math and engineering. “Music students are outperforming non-music students on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). College-bound seniors with coursework or experience in music performance scored 52 points higher on the verbal portion and 37 points higher on the math portion of the SAT than students with no coursework or experience in the arts.” Galessini said.

Known for piano restoration and sales, Cunningham offers the newest in piano technology, a hybrid of a piano and a computer -The Cunningham Composer. “This piano is the first of its kind, is patent pending, and delivers “state of the art” interactive capabilities to the acoustic piano. This is the perfect piano for “computer savvy” beginners because they can use preloaded lessons, they can interact with teachers and other musicians online, and can take advantage of the latest music writing software right at their piano,” Galessini said. “The touch screen monitor is installed at eye level and gives the option of never actually needing “sheet music!” Most of the world’s favorite pieces of music can be downloaded and shown right on the screen – many with absolutely no charge,” he added.
The Cunningham Composer is perfect for computer savvy students as a way to get them to play while they play! Galessini said many parents are under the impression that instilling a love and learning of piano has to be expensive, “We offer lease programs and an array of option that make learning to play the piano an affordable opportunity,” Galessini said.

Cunningham Pianos is the oldest, most respected piano company in the United States since 1891and proudly shows anyone interested first-hand the art of piano restoration. Visitors are welcome to tour the four-story factory to get a first-hand look at the delicate restoration process, which begins with a broken down instrument and ends with nothing short of a miracle. Some of the damage is obvious, like scratches or yellowed keys while others are not detectible to the eye, but only to a trained ear.

Cunningham Pianos sells and restores all piano brands from Steinway, to Mason & Hamlin, Renner, Estonia, Charles Walter, Halin, Knabe, and many others. A few years ago Cunningham Pianos began offering its own manufactured piano which it had discontinued doing in 1943.

A wall of celebrity who’s who photos including Luciano Pavoratti Marvin Hamlisch, Marc Andre Hamelin, Yuja Wang, Andre Watts, Garrick Ohlsson, Bill Cosby, Bobby McFerrin, M. Night Shaymalan, Robert Diniro, Jamie Foxx, and many other stars from near and far who have trusted their piano to Cunningham.

Cunningham Piano Company is located at 5427 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144 215.438.3200 or http://www.cunninghampiano.com/.