10 Reasons Your Child Should Learn To Play A Musical Instrument

Simply put music is good for the soul. In fact music is so good for you that music therapy is implemented in some hospitals for children (and adults) that are fighting illnesses.

Music is great fun, especially for budding little musicians, however it also offers many benefits that you may not be aware of. It is important to note that the best benefits come from actively playing a musical instrument, rather than just listening to music.

Your child could take music lessons at school, as an extra mural activity outside the school, or your child could even learn to play a musical instrument using online tutorials.

For example if your child wants to learn how to play ukulele (a 4 string guitar from Hawaiian origin)  he can check out ukulele-lessons.com for how to play and learn the different chords as well as find great ukulele songs to play here:  https://easyukulelesongs.com/ukulele-tabs/.

Just do an online search for the musical instrument you think your child would like to learn and you will find loads of resources, Youtube is also an excellent place to learn anything, including lessons showing you how to play musical instruments.

Here are some excellent reasons for your child to learn how to play a musical instrument:

Promotes Self Expression

Playing a musical instrument enables children to explore their feelings and find themselves in a creative sense. Music helps children to express themselves and what they are feeling in a safe, fun and creative way.

Promotes Good Social Skills

If your child is taking music lessons in a group setting and playing with other children then your child will need to learn how to work together with other children. Collaborating in a group setting to get a song right will be great practice for developing your child’s social skills.

This will also give your child a chance to socialize with other children with similar interests.

Improves Listening Skills

Playing a musical instrument will require your child to listen carefully in a number of ways. Your child will need to listen to the instructions from his music teacher, as well as to the speed, rhythm and pitch of the music. If your child is playing in a group setting he will need to also pay attention to his fellow band members.

Improves Memory Skills

Playing a musical instrument is a complete brain workout and teaches children how to create, store and retrieve memories effectively. The more a brain is worked and used the more effective it is, this means that music will help your child to improve memory function in other aspects of his life as well as in musically.

Improves Coordination

Children that play musical instruments have good hand eye coordination which is crucial to your child’s healthy development. Children also need to read the music and then convert that in their brain to the physical part of playing the instrument, this requires good coordination and requires fast thinking.

Improves Comprehension and Reading Skills

Learning to play a musical instrument calls for many skills to be developed. Your child will need to learn how to read music, understand what each note needs to be played at which pitch, how long to hold each note for and how loudly to play each note.

Your child needs to learn how to move his fingers for each not.

This requires good reading skills as well as understanding. These skills will carry through to your child’s school work too.

Improves Maths Skills

Playing an instrument has many similarities to maths and they are interconnected. Children learn how to recognize patterns, divide and create fractions when they understand rhythm, beat and scales. Music helps children to understand aspects of maths easier.

Teaches Responsibility

Music teaches your child responsibility through playing in a group as well as looking after his musical instrument. Musical instruments require maintenance of some sort, whether it be oiling, cleaning or tuning. It is also important for your child to store and transport his instrument safely so that it doesn’t get damaged.

Teaches Perseverance

Learning a musical instrument is not easy. It takes time, hard work, practice, patience and perseverance. Your child will learn about setting short term (learning a specific note) and long term goals (learning a new song with lots of different notes).

Teaches Children About Culture and History

Music plays a huge part in history and culture. Children that are taught different types of music are often also taught the origin and history too. Different genres of music (jazz, rock, contemporary, classical etc) will give your child insight into the past and how music played a part in it.

Conclusion

Achieving goals and mastering a musical instrument will reward your child with a huge sense of achievement and in this way will give your child a boost of self-confidence that he may not previously have had.

It is a great idea to encourage your child to learn how to play a musical instrument, he will have gained a valuable skill, had fun doing it and in the process achieved all these benefits along the way.