No matter the age, any kid has a lot on their plate: essays, math problems, standardized tests… Squeezing an extracurricular activity in-between classes, homework, and tutors might be an ordeal. But it’s worth it, especially if we’re talking about music lessons.
Music is one of the oldest human activities, and engaging in it is rewarding at any age. That said, learning to play an instrument in childhood makes a bigger difference than you might think. Here are the key benefits of music lessons in school and research to back them up.
1. Music Boosts Cognitive Function
Even passive exposure to music at an early age (i.e., listening to music) helps our brains develop stronger connections between different regions of the brain. Learning to play an instrument, however, boosts cognitive development well beyond neural connectivity. Researchers believe signing up for a music lesson for children can improve the child’s executive functioning, memory, IQ, and linguistic abilities.
That has a tangible effect on children’s academic abilities and performance. For example, one study measured children’s IQ scores before and after taking music lessons. It found that those who did take music lessons showed a higher increase in IQ scores than the control group.
CollegeBoard’s SAT data, in turn, showed that students who spent more years taking arts and music classes had higher SAT scores in critical reading, mathematics, and writing.
2. It Helps Develop Social Skills
Music was one of the earliest forms of communication between humans. Today, it continues to help us forge stronger social bonds.
Needless to say, taking part in group music classes or lending music skills learned privately to a band will help your child meet and get to know their peers. But music-related activities may be making social bonds stronger thanks to the release of oxytocin (although more research is needed on the matter).
What’s more, music in general serves as a tool for emotion and mood regulation. Those are crucial for developing strong social skills.
Fun fact: music activates almost all brain regions and networks. The only other activity that makes your brain light up that much? Socializing!
3. It Teaches Patience & Perseverance
No one can learn to play an instrument in a matter of weeks or months. For the piano, reaching the intermediate level takes four to five years, on average. Violinists can rarely say they’ve mastered the instrument in less than a decade.
All of this means one thing: music lessons require patience and persistence. A good teacher will help your child cultivate those very traits so that they can make progress. Having a long-term goal also helps.
An important side note: children and adolescents are impatient because their brains haven’t developed the right connections fully yet. Training the brain to build those connections takes time and repetition and music lessons are a great training ground for that very purpose.
4. It Promotes Confidence
Learning to play an instrument can be a nerve-wracking experience. Notes don’t come out the right way, the tempo slides from one phrase to another, hands keep shaking. Over time, however, musicians-in-the-making find their confidence and let the notes flow beautifully from the instrument of their choice.
Becoming good at something and being able to actually notice it is great for self-esteem. In fact, one study found that children and adolescents who attended music lessons had higher self-esteem than their peers who didn’t.
On top of that, music learning goes hand in hand with playing in front of others. That can put children at ease with being the center of attention and having an audience, which are essential for giving speeches or presentations.
5. It Aids in Physical Development
Any musical instrument requires fine motor skills and coordination to play. Structured, repetitive movements are crucial for building those skills and the earlier you start, the better.
In fact, one study found that children who had musical training before the age of 7 had increased neural connectivity in the areas of the brain associated with movement. In other words, as the brain develops, it becomes literally wired for playing this specific instrument.
Of course, fine motor skills aren’t the only benefit of music lessons. Certain instruments require more physical endurance than others. Others, like drums, require gross motor skills and literal physical strength to play. Playing while sight-reading music sheets, in turn, teaches hand-eye coordination.
6. The List Goes On!
The benefits we’ve listed so far are by no means the only ones. It’ll come as no surprise, but music education also:
- Boosts creativity
- Provides an outlet for self-expression
- Helps alleviate stress and anxiety
On top of all that, it contributes to your child’s overall worldview. Apart from learning the instrument, they’ll also explore classical composers, diverse music genres, and other cultures.
In Closing
The benefits of music lessons in school are many. Children who pick up a musical instrument, especially early on, are more creative, confident, and patient. They’re also more likely to excel in academia and make meaningful connections with their peers.
So, go ahead and discuss which instrument your child might want to try out or, perhaps, they’d prefer to take up singing? If you’re considering private lessons, make sure the tutor you pick knows how to foster confidence, patience, and perseverance in their students, too.