✈️ Music as Your Travel Companion: Why You Should Keep Up Lessons and Practice—Even on Vacation

Summer is here—and with it, family trips, camp schedules, and the temptation to hit pause on structured activities. But did you know that continuing music lessons and even light practice during the summer (yes, even while you travel!) can actually help your body and brain feel better, especially when you’re adjusting to new time zones or routines?

We often think of music as something to take a break from during the summer. But for many of us, it’s exactly the grounding, focusing, joy-giving tool we need while we’re away.

Here’s how music can actually help you travel better—and why staying connected to lessons, even through Zoom or short practice bursts, is a gift you’ll thank yourself for.

🎶 1. Music Helps Your Brain Adjust to Jet Lag

When you travel across time zones, your internal clock (your circadian rhythm) gets disrupted. This can leave you foggy, groggy, and emotionally drained. Practicing music helps your brain re-sync by stimulating the prefrontal cortex and motor regions—areas that travel fatigue can dull. Think of it as a jumpstart for your brain.

According to neuroscientist Dr. Aniruddh Patel, music engages wide regions of the brain—including those responsible for timing, movement, memory, and emotion. This broad activation helps counteract the disorientation of jet lag and lack of routine (Patel, 2008).

Even a few minutes of playing or listening can improve alertness and boost mood-regulating neurotransmitters like dopamine.

☀️ 2. Practicing at the Same Time Each Day Re-anchors Your Internal Clock

If you or your child practice music at the same time each day—even just 15 minutes—it helps reinforce your body’s sense of rhythm in a new environment.

Think of it like mealtime or brushing your teeth. Structured musical routines provide temporal cues that help the brain and body adjust to a new time zone faster. One study found that music may even influence melatonin secretion, which helps regulate sleep and wake cycles (Harvard Medical School, 2021).

😌 3. Music Lowers Stress—and Travel Can Raise It

Travel is exciting, but it can also be overstimulating. Crowds, late nights, missed meals, and general sensory overload can spike cortisol (the body’s stress hormone). Music practice provides an outlet for self-regulation.

Studies show that playing or listening to music reduces stress and anxiety by activating the parasympathetic nervous system—your body’s “rest and digest” mode (Thoma et al., 2013).

So if your child is having a tough time adjusting to a new place—or you are—a familiar scale or favorite piece can go a long way.

🧠 4. Music Keeps the Brain Active Without Screen Overload

Summer often brings a lot of downtime. While some screen time is fine, research is clear: musical practice improves focus, executive function, and working memory far more effectively than passive screen activities (Schellenberg, 2004).

Practicing even briefly—on a roll-up keyboard, ukulele, or body percussion—keeps kids’ (and adults’) brains engaged while still offering that sense of freedom summer is known for.

🌍 5. It Grounds You in Unfamiliar Places

Many musicians describe practicing on vacation as a way to “come home” to themselves. A few quiet minutes at the piano or violin—whether in a hotel, relative’s house, or Airbnb—can bring a sense of familiarity and emotional stability during a time of change.

If your instrument didn’t make the trip, try:

A foldable practice keyboard
A small ukulele or travel guitar
Vocal warm-ups or solfège exercises
Rhythm games and clapping patterns
Even simply listening to a recording and “practicing” mentally has benefits!

💻 6. Online Lessons Make It Easy to Stay Connected

If you’re traveling this summer, don’t cancel those music lessons—take them with you! Most of our teachers at Chambers Music Studio offer online lessons as a seamless option during trips. Whether you’re in your grandmother’s living room or a beachside condo, all you need is Wi-Fi and a device.

Keeping lessons consistent helps students:

Retain their skills and confidence
Avoid the “re-learning” curve in the fall
Stay emotionally connected to their creativity and community

Final Note

Music isn’t just an activity to schedule. It’s a tool for well-being, focus, and joy—especially during the beautifully chaotic rhythms of summer.

Whether you’re hopping time zones, camping under the stars, or staying home with a change in schedule, a bit of music each day can go a long way in helping your body and brain thrive.

📚

Bibliography

Harvard Medical School. (2021). Music and health: The link between music and well-being. Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/music-and-health

Patel, A. D. (2008). Music, Language, and the Brain. Oxford University Press.

➡ This book explores how music engages multiple brain systems, including timing, memory, and motor coordination.

Schellenberg, E. G. (2004). Music lessons enhance IQ. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(2), 279–286. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.96.2.279

➡ This landmark study found that children who received music lessons scored higher on measures of IQ and executive functioning.

Thoma, M. V., Ryf, S., Mohiyeddini, C., Ehlert, U., & Nater, U. M. (2013). Emotion regulation through listening to music in everyday situations. Cognition and Emotion, 27(3), 534–543. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3734071/

➡ This study supports the idea that music listening and engagement help regulate stress hormones and mood.