The Third Eight Hours: Why Kids Need More Than Screen Time
How music, creativity, and meaningful experiences help children discover who they are, and why the hours outside of school matter more than ever.
There's a problem facing families today, and it doesn't necessarily involve smartphones or social media.
Many parents have already made the thoughtful decision to delay giving their children a phone. But even without one, it's remarkably easy for kids to spend much of their free time in front of a screen. Video games. Television. YouTube. Streaming services. Tablets. Computers. The options are practically endless, and they're available at the push of a button.
There's nothing inherently wrong with enjoying a video game or a favorite show. But as parents, there's a bigger question worth asking: What are our children missing out on when so much of their free time is spent being entertained?
At Beach Cities Rock Club and Power Plant Records in San Clemente, California, that question gets to the heart of a problem we're passionate about solving. We're helping families disconnect from the constant demands of digital entertainment and reconnect with something more meaningful: music, creativity, and community.
The Problem Isn't Just Screen Time. It's What Screen Time Replaces.
According to the 2025 Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight, children ages 5 to 8 spend an average of 3 hours and 28 minutes a day with screen media. Across all kids age eight and younger, the average is about two and a half hours a day, and time spent gaming jumped 65% between 2020 and 2024.
The concern isn't that every hour of screen time is harmful. Watching a movie together can be a wonderful family experience. The concern is balance.
The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages families to think about what screen time might be crowding out, and its Family Media Plan suggests making room for reading, outdoor play, family games, and hobbies. Are kids discovering what they love to do?
A child's free time isn't empty space between school and bedtime. It's an opportunity to discover who they are, and when most of it is filled with readily available entertainment, some of those discoveries may never happen.
The 8-8-8 Principle: The Third Eight Hours Help Define Who You Become
There's a simple way to think about our 24-hour day: 8 hours for sleep, 8 hours for work or school, and 8 hours for life. We call this the 8-8-8 principle.
Of course, it's a philosophy rather than a literal schedule, especially for kids. The CDC recommends 9 to 12 hours of sleep for children ages 6 to 12 and 8 to 10 hours for teens ages 13 to 17. But the underlying message is powerful. We spend so much of our lives doing the things we have to do. What about the things we choose to do?
Think about those remaining hours, the time outside of school, work, and necessary responsibilities. That's when we develop hobbies, discover passions, and form friendships. That's when a kid becomes a surfer, a painter, a musician, or maybe all three. Why should they have to choose?
Imagine what a child could discover after a year of playing music for 20 minutes a day. Now imagine those same hours disappearing into another television series or another level of a video game. The difference is what the child gets to take away from it.
The third eight hours aren't about filling your schedule. They're about filling your life.
Children Need Opportunities to Create, Not Just Consume
Watching an incredible drummer perform online can be inspiring. But sitting behind a drum kit and learning to play that same rhythm is an entirely different experience.
Creating something asks for patience, persistence, and a willingness to make mistakes, and that challenge is part of what makes it rewarding. At Beach Cities Rock Club, we see this firsthand. A student might walk into their first guitar lesson barely knowing how to hold the instrument. Months later, they might be standing onstage with friends, performing music they once thought was impossible to play. That's the discovery that effort can turn an interest into an accomplishment.
The Science Behind Music and Childhood Development
Music lessons aren't a magic solution to every childhood challenge, and no single study proves that every child will see the same results. But several areas of research suggest meaningful benefits.
1. Music Helps Develop Focus and Self-Control
A drummer must coordinate hands and feet while keeping time; a singer must manage melody, rhythm, and breathing. A 2024 meta-analysis published in Cognition examined 22 longitudinal studies involving 1,734 children and found that music training improved inhibitory control, an executive function associated with managing impulses and regulating behavior. And kids build these abilities while working toward something they genuinely enjoy.
2. Music Teaches Persistence and Builds Confidence
Your fingers might hurt when you're learning guitar. Then something happens: the chord rings clearly, and the song finally sounds the way you imagined. These moments teach an important lesson. Improvement is something you can earn through effort.
3. Playing Music With Others Develops Social Skills
When you're playing in a band, you're part of a team. Everyone has a role, and everyone must listen. A 2010 study published in Evolution and Human Behavior found that four-year-old children who made music together showed more helping and cooperative behavior than children in a matched activity without music. That's one reason band class is such an important part of our school, and friendships develop around something they all love.
4. Music Can Support Emotional Well-Being
A 2020 review published in Health Psychology Review examined 104 randomized controlled trials involving 9,617 participants and found that music interventions reduced both psychological and physiological measures of stress. For kids and teens, music is another way to express feelings. Sometimes you don't need to explain exactly how you're feeling. You just need to play a song.
San Clemente Music Lessons for Nearly Every Instrument
At Beach Cities Rock Club, we teach pretty much every instrument. Most of our students take guitar, piano, voice, or drums, and we also teach:
- Bass guitar
- Upright (stand-up) bass
- Saxophone
- Ukulele, banjo, and mandolin
- Violin, viola, and cello
- Music production
We offer music lessons for students of all ages, from young kids to teens and adults. Private lessons are 30 minutes or an hour, at the same time each week with the same teacher. Students can also join a band class, record in our studio, and perform at our monthly open mic.
Why We Created Beach Cities Rock Club
We didn't create Beach Cities Rock Club simply to teach scales and chords. We wanted music to become a meaningful part of kids' lives. Our founder has been teaching music in the San Clemente area for almost 20 years, Beach Cities Rock Club has been part of the community for over 15, and today our six teachers work with about 100 students from San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, and across South Orange County.
Our school is located inside Power Plant Records, surrounded by our local music community. Our approach emphasizes four connected experiences: Get Inspired. Learn. Perform. Record. Students discover music that excites them, build skills through personalized lessons, play in our band program, and share what they've learned at seasonal concerts, community events, and open-mic performances. We prefer the atmosphere of a real music venue to the formality of a traditional recital.
Not every student will become a professional musician, and that's perfectly fine. The goal isn't to determine who they become. The goal is to give them another way to discover who they might become.
Ready to give your child something better to do with their third eight hours? Sign up for music lessons or call us at (949) 463-1968 to find the right instrument and teacher.
Power Plant Records: Rediscovering the Joy of Listening
While Beach Cities Rock Club helps people experience the joy of making music, Power Plant Records helps people rediscover the joy of listening to it. Browsing the racks and listening to a whole album invites a different kind of attention than a background playlist. These aren't two separate missions; they're two expressions of the same belief: life is richer when we actively participate in music rather than simply letting entertainment fill the silence.
Five Ways Parents Can Encourage More Creativity and Less Screen Time
You don't need to ban video games, throw out the television, or schedule every hour of your child's day. The goal is to make room for experiences that offer something different.
- Help your child explore several interests. Music, surfing, painting, sports, theater: childhood is a time for discovery.
- Create a little space for creativity every day. Even 15–20 minutes a day can become a rewarding routine.
- Let their interests lead. If your child loves a particular artist, help them learn one of that artist's songs.
- Make music a family experience. Listen to albums together, go to a concert, share the songs that were important to you growing up, and ask your child to introduce you to something they love.
- Give them opportunities to participate. Encourage them to join a band, perform at an open mic, or share what they've been learning.
Unstructured time matters, too. Kids need time to daydream, get bored, and invent their own fun. We're not suggesting every hour should become a lesson, only that kids deserve the chance to discover that some of life's best experiences happen away from a screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What instruments can my child learn in San Clemente?
At Beach Cities Rock Club in San Clemente, kids can learn nearly any instrument. Our most popular lessons are guitar, piano, voice, and drums. We also teach bass guitar, upright bass, saxophone, ukulele, violin, viola, cello, banjo, mandolin, and music production.
Where can I find music lessons for kids in San Clemente?
Beach Cities Rock Club offers private music lessons, band classes, and performance opportunities at 73 Via Pico Plaza in San Clemente, inside Power Plant Records. We serve families from San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, and South Orange County.
What age can my child start music lessons?
Most kids are ready for piano or drum lessons around age 5, when they can focus with a teacher for 30 minutes on their own. We teach students of all ages, including teens and adults.
Can music lessons help kids spend less time on screens?
Music lessons give kids an engaging alternative to recreational screen time. Once a child gets excited about an instrument, practicing and playing with friends become things they choose to do.
What are the benefits of music lessons for children?
Music lessons build musical skills, creativity, coordination, persistence, and confidence. Research links music training to better inhibitory control, and making music in a group encourages cooperation and communication.
Does my child need to be naturally musical?
No. Every musician starts as a beginner. Our teachers meet each student where they are and keep lessons approachable, encouraging, and fun.
How do I sign up for music lessons at Beach Cities Rock Club?
You can register online or call (949) 463-1968. Our team will match your child with the right teacher.
Childhood Doesn't Have a Replay Button
There will always be another television show to watch, another video game to play, another afternoon of entertainment. But childhood doesn't last forever. The hours our kids have to discover their passions are incredibly valuable, and those hours add up.
Think about how music becomes attached to our memories: the songs your parents played when you were young, the first concert you attended, the album that defined your high school years. Music isn't just entertainment. It's the soundtrack to our lives. At Power Plant Records, we help people discover and reconnect with that soundtrack. At Beach Cities Rock Club, we help people learn to create it themselves.
The answer isn't to make kids feel guilty about technology. It's to give them something equally engaging and deeply rewarding beyond it. To discover the joy of playing an instrument. To make a new friend in a band. To catch a wave. To fall in love with an album. To become a musician, a surfer, a painter, or all three.
Eight hours for sleep. Eight hours for school. And the rest? That's where you discover who you are. At Beach Cities Rock Club and Power Plant Records, we're here to help families make the most of those moments, one song, one lesson, one record, and one unforgettable experience at a time.
Give Your Child Something They'll Carry for a Lifetime
Looking for music lessons in San Clemente? Beach Cities Rock Club helps kids, teens, and adults discover the joy of learning an instrument and playing with others.
Sign up for music lessons today, explore our programs and pricing, or call us at (949) 463-1968.
And stop by Power Plant Records to dig through the crates.
Beach Cities Rock Club & Power Plant Records 73 Via Pico Plaza, San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 463-1968 · Mon–Sat, 12–8 pm (lessons by appointment)
Less passive entertainment. More meaningful experiences. A lifetime of music.
