Sports get the parental investment by default; music often gets squeezed into whatever's left of the schedule. At Twelve Tone Music School in Glenview, instructors make a different argument: music delivers benefits sports can't, and the smartest move is doing both.
Why is music as important as sports for kids?
Music and sports both build discipline, teamwork, and physical coordination — but music adds emotional expression and creative output that sports rarely provide. Twelve Tone students develop a way to externalize feelings that has no athletic equivalent.
The kid who can express what's going on inside has an advantage no kid who only competes will get.
How does music build community the way sports do?
Twelve Tone Labs and Rock Band placements function like a music team — same accountability, same camaraderie, same celebration when the group nails it. The peer dynamics that make sports valuable are present in group music; the band is the team.
And musical communities tend to last longer than youth-sports communities. Bandmates often stay in touch into adulthood; teammates from a single season usually don't.
Does music build cognitive skills sports can't?
Yes — particularly in memory, language processing, and divided attention. Twelve Tone Lab students train all three weekly. Sports build coordination and physical decision-making; music builds a different set of mental muscles.
Neither replaces the other. Together they cover the full range of cognitive and physical development.
Should my child do both music and a sport?
Twelve Tone parents often pair music with one sport — the combination tends to work well. Music sessions are usually 45–60 minutes once a week with daily practice; sports practices are several times a week with games on weekends.
The two stack instead of competing for the same time. And kids who do both often perform better in school than kids who do only one.