10 Benefits of Children Learning Musical Instruments by Nicole McCray
Children are sponges when it comes to learning new things. They quickly absorb and apply new information, so learning things at a young age is preferred. While music instruction is excellent for any person to take on at any age, learning a musical instrument has for children helps them advance in many other areas of their development.
The engagement that playing an instrument creates produces more rewarding experiences and takeaways than simply sitting and listening to music. The effect that musical learning and application have on our brains is incredible! Improved social skills, academics, and even physical growth are all attributed rewards when playing an instrument.
Here are the top ten benefits that children will gain when they learn a musical instrument.
CONFIDENCE BOOSTER
Learning an instrument gives kids the ability to create and improve upon skill sets. When a child first tackles a complex musical piece, it can be frustrating, but the child becomes better at playing with time and practice. As they improve, their confidence grows.
Children who gain self-esteem this way will feel more confident when playing in front of others to demonstrate and show off their knowledge. Listening to feedback and making adjustments, and seeing positive changes all contribute to the growth of their self-esteem. The improved confidence also attributes children wanting to learn and take on more complex music, which further advances their skills.
IMPROVED ACADEMICS
Children who learn to read and play music also improve their language and reading skills as part of learning an instrument. Comprehension is gained by identifying notes and associating them with how to play their instrument. With time, children become more fluid in their playing and understanding when reading music.
It is a complex skill to be able to read and play an instrument at the same time. Music also helps children with counting for rhythms and recognition of patterns and fractions for key and time signatures, which help in areas for school such as Math.
MEMORY AND CONCENTRATION
As part of a child’s musical training, they not only study their music, but they learn to play it by heart, without having to refer to their sheet music. Vincent Reina, who co-founded Music To Your Home, a school where teachers come directly to students and help them learn how to play from the comforts of home, noted that “children learning to play instruments demonstrate improved memory and concentration since their brains have to work at multiple things at the same time.” Coordinating those movements together in tandem requires deep focus.
BETTER HAND-EYE COORDINATION
A physical reward that children can gain when learning how to play a musical instrument is developing their fine motor skills. It requires their brains to work quickly and convert notes on a page into the physical aspect of playing.
For example, when learning to play the piano, students have to use their ears and eyes to read the music, hear how it should be played, and work with their fingers to play correctly. Sometimes with multiple notes, they are using many muscles within their fingers for long periods.
HELPS WITH SOCIALIZATION
When children play instruments together, such as in a school orchestra or band, their social skills are improved, much like any sport where teamwork is necessary. Children learn to work together and develop shared goals, play their best, and encourage one another.
EMOTIONS AND SELF-EXPRESSION
One thing that sports do not teach children is the inspiration of creativity that comes with learning musical instruments. Having the ability to express oneself in a space where they do not have to feel judged for doing something incorrectly is not only helpful for self-esteem but allows children to have an outlet to make their own choices and express their emotions freely.
The value that is learned from the emotional connection that music fosters also allows for children to have the ability to have empathy for others. Conveying emotions in this manner also goes back to how children obtain better social skills.
RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCIPLINE
It is no surprise to anyone learning a musical instrument that the act of learning takes dedication and a lot of practice. As a result, children will learn to manage their time and create a practice schedule for themselves, which teaches them some valuable life skills and how to be more disciplined in getting the most out of their learning.
The responsibility of taking on an instrument also involves other necessary activities such as cleaning their instrument or tuning it regularly. These responsibilities correlate to children later in life, helping them to develop good work habits.
EXPOSURE AND APPRECIATION
Music involves some learning about history since songs sometimes tell stories. These stories might be from the past, and they also might be true, which can teach children about different cultures or traditions. They also learn to appreciate the variety that comes with multiple music genres, across classical, rock, jazz, blues, and more. By learning about the backgrounds where the music they are playing stems, children gain exposure to different cultures and learn to appreciate the differences that we all possess.
TEACHES THEM PATIENCE
Patience is an important virtue learned in a world where everything comes to us on an immediate schedule. Learning to set goals and execute patience to achieve them is a fantastic skill children will obtain when playing a musical instrument. Playing requires many hours, weeks, days, months, and even years of practice to master their craft.
Specific instruments require patience in just learning how to hold and play them properly. Understanding that learning and becoming better at something takes time is not easy, but children learn something precious from being patient.
ENHANCED BRAIN FUNCTION
One last fantastic benefit that studying a musical instrument gives children is increased use of their brains. Studies performed demonstrate that the earlier music learning happens for children, the earlier it improves the brain’s ability to be malleable and leads to life-long neuroplasticity.
MUSICAL LEARNING IS ESSENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT
The instrument that you allow your child to choose can be dependent on multiple factors. It would help if you incorporated something that piques your child’s interest or brings them joy, but also ensures that your child will stick with it. In addition, children can benefit from trying out multiple instruments to see which ones suit them the best for future learning and mastering.
With all of these amazing benefits that learning an instrument offers, it is important to see how essential musical learning is for children and how much it aids their development. If your school music program does not offer instrumental education, consider hiring a private music instructor so your child does not miss out on all of these advantages and future opportunities their music learning can provide.
Nicole McCray is a music teacher. Before she discovered her passion for teaching students how to play their first instrument, Nicole was pinching pennies in her 20s while singing at dive bars across the country. Nowadays, she spends her days contributing to music blogs, parenting forums, and education websites when she’s not providing private music lessons. She finds joy in sharing her insight with musicians, fellow teachers, and parents of musicians-in-training!