For centuries, parents have emphasized the importance of music in the lives of their children. This is not merely because they wanted to listen to developing amateur musicians in their household but because of the proven benefits learning music provides in a number of different areas.

Music is a language, and learning it stimulates the same areas of your brain that are required for learning to speak in any other language. Playing instruments requires scanning written music, decoding it’s meaning, and sending the relevant task towards the fingers. Moreover, this must be done within the confines of time and with the embellishment of style. These are transferable skills. Processing information is a prized ability, and it’s desired in many workplaces. With music, processing alone isn’t enough-you have to do something with it. This is a testament to the level of processing that’s taken place and confirms the thoroughness of one’s ability. But this is far from the only tangible benefit one receives.

Being able to play music with grace suggests a strong work ethic and a willingness to sacrifice time and mental energy towards an external goal. What boss can be indifferent towards this show? Children have time to be idle, and perhaps it’s necessary to explore with friends and spend time in unstructured environments, but there needs to be a balance between this kind of time and moments spent in substantial concentration outside of ordinary school. Going to school is legally required, but playing music gives the child a sense of purpose outside of what he’s bound to do. Pursuing goals and abilities outside of what’s necessary is a good principle to instil in young people. It teaches them how to juggle multiple tasks and responsibilities and directs them to reap the reward of self satisfaction one receives upon successful completion of difficult challenges.

The importance of self-esteem for the young is impossible to quantify, as is the degree to which learning an instrument improves it, but nobody would doubt the serious impact it has on children who successfully learn a difficult, coveted skill. Other challenges become smaller in comparison. It’s a platform from which to take off. The experience of practicing alone in a room with single minded determination is one they can draw from in other difficult circumstances they’re sure to encounter throughout their adult life. It hardens you.

But no discussion about the benefits music provides is complete without mention that, simply put, music is its own reward. Being able to personally perform the music that you love gives you a kind of satisfaction nothing else can match. It makes you happy in the most wholesome, grounded way possible. It fills and nurtures a corner of the spirit that can’t be filled in any other way, and it’s spawned by a combination of ones innate ability, the hard work they’ve put in alone, and the collaboration they’ve enjoyed with friends and teachers.

To be sure, some children aren’t musical and want nothing to do with instruments. There are countless other hobbies to beneficially take up, but it’s hard to say the gifts they bestow are greater abundance or better quality than playing music.

Author Bio: Long & McQuade’s Musical Education Center offers music lessons North York and music lessons Vancouver. When trying to learn a musical instrument be sure to

Category: Education
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