Meet 10 Year-Old Drummer Sebastian Stephens – The Youngest Person to Receive a Professional Certificate from Prestigious Berklee College of Music

Can children know from a young age what type of instrument they would like to play? The answer is a resounding YES! Meet 10-year-old drummer Sebastian “Seba” Stephens from Tennessee who asked his parents for drums for his birthday when he was just 3 years-old. To his parents’ credit, they purchased a child’s drum kit for him, and the rest is history.

Seba soon showed that he had a talent to play drums and his parents hired a teacher for him who immediately saw his talent too. His parents say that he never stopped playing! With the encouragement of his parents, Seba also learned how to play other instruments including piano, bass and guitar.

When he was just 8 years-old, Seba received special permission to study bass at an online summer program offered by the prestigious Berklee College of Music. He often would practice up to 36 hours a week. Because of this schedule, he asked his parents to be home schooled so he could continue at Berklee during the school year. They reworked their schedules and did just that.

In May, 2021, Seba became the youngest person to receive a professional certificate from Berklee. What a determined and talented youngster!

The spotlight should also be on his parents who supported him throughout. They could have easily talked him out of playing the drums, thinking it would be much too noisy and inconvenient for them. But, they stood by him and encouraged him. Kudos to them!

To read the entire article, please visit:

https://newsforkids.net/articles/2022/10/06/10-year-old-drummer-earns-certificate-from-berklee/

The Many benefits of Music for Young Children

“Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances.”

-Maya Angelou

It is hard to find someone who does not enjoy music. From classical to rock, music tends to bring people from all walks of life together. Not only is listening to music an enjoyable experience, but it also has some major benefits, especially for young children. Listening to or playing music has a plethora of benefits for their social, emotional, and even academic performances. So why wouldn’t we want our children exposed to that? Here are just a few of the many benefits of music for them.

It accelerates brain development. Studies have shown that musical experiences actually help children academically, including in the areas of math, language and reading skills.
It improves memory skills. This goes for adults as well as children. When your children listen to music or play an instrument, they are flexing their brain muscles and learning and then saving what they have learned in their memory banks.
It makes children happier! Listening and singing along to music release endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are mood improving chemicals that make people happier. Children will want to get up and dance. Encourage them to use wooden spoons and drum (beat) on pans. Watch them smile and laugh! When they sing in a group setting, the effects are multiplied, causing an even more heightened sense of happiness. This works for most music types, but techno and heavy metal music is known to have the opposite effect, causing anxiety and depressed behaviors in people.
It improves a child’s speech. For children who take music lessons, their word comprehension is increased.
It improves social skills. This applies more for children who sing or play instruments as part of a group. Being in a group of children who work together to create beautiful music can be a profound bonding experience. Also, being with the same group for an extended period of time- especially when you are all aiming toward a single goal- can form forever friendships.
Music is relaxing. Classical music has been known to help adults and children fall asleep easier. It calms the mind, which in turn, creates the same relaxing effect for the body.

To learn more, please visit these websites:

https://www.carnegiehall.org/Explore/Articles/2020/12/09/Why-Making-Music-Matters

https://www.brighthorizons.com/resources/Article/music-and-children-rhythm-meets-child-development

https://earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/early-years/activities-and-resources/resources-parents/encourage/the-many-benefits-of-music