Do you want to help your children become even smarter? Do you want to help them improve their memory, focus, and concentration? What about lower their stress and even help them be happier? Of course, you do! And getting them into music can help! This week we’re exploring how playing an instrument – even alone – can provide many social and mental benefits. In fact, you’ll see how playing an instrument isn’t only good for the musician themselves, but that it also provides a few benefits to the friends and family around them!

Ready? Let’s get started!

Social And Mental Benefits of Musical Instruction

Playing an Instrument Makes them Happier

Our first benefit may be somewhat basic, but at the same time it may be the most important: playing music helps children feel happier! Countless studies have linked playing music to improved mood and happiness. This makes sense, because human also naturally become happier when just listening to music. As a matter of fact, many people listen to their favourite music of regulating their mood and making them feel good!

What’s more, it doesn’t even matter what kind of instrument they play. No matter if they learn to play a stringed instrument, like a guitar, or a brass or wind instrument, like trumpet or clarinet – it’s the act of playing, not the method, that improves mood.

Playing an Instrument Lowers Stress & Anxiety

Another major impact of playing music is reduced stress and anxiety. This, of course, goes hand in hand with making musicians feel happier! But the difference here is that kids can actually use music to actively control the changes in their mood. Practicing alone at home, or performing for or with friends helps reduce stress and help them feel more relaxed.

This reduction in anxiety happens because they have to focus on what’s happening around them in the moment. Since musicians have to listen carefully, they can learn to block out all other distractions so they can have fun and stay in time when they perform.

Playing an Instrument Makes them Smarter

Another aspect of playing music that the experts agree on, is that it sharpens the mind and makes children (and adults) smarter. Your brain is a muscle, and like everything else it needs to be exercised to get stronger! Musicians of every age must think about what note to play next, or how each phrase should be shaped. After practicing and playing the same piece over and over again, they’ll notice how they get better after every performance.

Practicing and playing an instrument for years leads to faster and easier memorization of the music they’re playing. This is because their brains have formed more and newer neural pathways, allowing the mind to become more flexible when it comes to understanding new musical concepts. And the earlier they start, the better! Starting their musical journey young means they’ll be less likely to lose the benefits as they grow older. What’s more, kids who play music are more likely to do well in school because they are constantly challenging their brains.

Playing Music Improves Their Focus, Concentration, and Memory

Of course, making kids smarter isn’t the only impact music has on the brain-it also improves focus, concentration, and memory! When they learn a new piece of music, they have to listen carefully to the melody played by the musicians around them. They have to pay attention to which notes are emphasized or repeated, and they have to concentrate on playing them correctly.

Only after they’ve carefully listened to the entire piece, and analyzed the music, can they start playing it accurately. This means that musicians must stay focused on the current moment and what is happening around them. In many cases, they’ll need to memorize new music quickly and accurately, so they can perform it correctly. The memories stored in the minds of musicians are critical because they need to learn the music over and over until playing it becomes something like a habit.

Playing an Instrument Improves Patience

Finally, learning to play an instrument can help your child become more patient. It can take years and years of practice to master an instrument, and making mistakes or struggling with certain theories or songs can be incredibly frustrating. But the only solution is to continue to practice over and over until they get it right. That might mean playing the same section dozens-or even hundreds-of times!

That requires a lot of patience!

Musicians, even young ones, must learn to make mistakes without getting overly frustrated or annoyed. If they can learn to practice over many years, you and they will notice big improvements over time. This is an invaluable skill for other areas of life, and they will become more tolerant of problems and mistakes when dealing with areas of their life outside of music.

Final Thoughts

These are, of course, only a small fraction of the kinds of benefits learning to play an instrument can bring to any child-or adult! Not much can be compared to the joy you get from sitting down with your instrument and letting your emotions flow through your fingertips and out across the notes and chords of a piece of music. And that’s what makes every benefit of learning to play an instrument worth the long journey: it’s fun – and if it’s fun, chances are you’ll stick with it!

If you’re looking to start your journey, of if you’re already on it but need a new guide, check out all the programs, classes, and ensembles that The Music Studio has to offer for children and adults!

It’s never too late to start reaping the benefits of musical training!