The pros of learning a musical instrument

Learning to play an instrument became a goal of mine at age five.  My instrument of choice was and continues to be the piano.  

This is one of the best decisions I have ever made. 

Playing an instrument is something that I believe everyone should learn; it doesn’t matter what age you are. Statistics show that 66% of Americans have played or learned how to play a musical instrument in their lifetime. This number should be much higher. 

If you learn how to play an instrument of any kind, not only do you learn something new, but this is also something you can do when you are 90 years old, unlike most sports.

The reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression found in children who play an instrument is largely due to the emotional expression and relaxation provided through a musical outlet,” says Mountain Land Pediatrics.

After a long stressful day of school or work, coming home to your quiet space and playing your favorite song on your instrument is one of the most rewarding feelings you can experience. 

“Learning an instrument teaches children how to create, store and retrieve memories more efficiently,” states Moderntonestudios.com.

Having the ability to memorize music feels like an accomplishment. Personally, I love the feeling of sitting down at the piano and playing a song all by memory that I learned six months ago. But playing an instrument not only helps with music memorization; it also helps with daily memorizing as well.

“A good musician knows that the quality of practice time is more valuable than the quantity,” says Stamfordschools.org.”

Adhering to a“schedule” for practicing an instrument helps you learn time management. 

If a musician wishes to improve their playing, then they will make set time for practicing so that they are devoted to it each day. This not only helps you become better at playing your music, but this can also be very helpful to you if you apply this to your school or work as well.

“Learning music improves math skills because, at some level, all music is math. It’s about time signatures, beats per minute, and formulaic progressions. Performing music, therefore, reinforces parts of the brain used when doing math,” states Brainbalancecenters.com.

Math is important for all ages. It is something you will use all throughout your life wherever you are. Learning to play an instrument means learning how much the note is worth and so on, but to know and understand all of this requires you to do an extent of math, and this will also show in the classroom as well.

Maybe instead of watching Netflix in your free time, look up some different instruments, choose one you might possibly be interested in, watch some videos, take lessons and give it a try.