Why You Should Learn a Musical Instrument

Music is amazing and it is really impressive when people master the art of learning a musical instrument. Today I’m going to be talking about why you should learn a musical instrument and the benefits of taking up this skill.

1. It Can Be an Amazing Pastime

The First reason why I think learning a musical instrument is extremely useful is that it's a great way to spend your extra time.

Playing an instrument can be soothing. It can help you relax and put the cares of the day away.

A lot of people like putting their head phones in and just sitting back. Well for me, being able to play an instrument brings even greater joy.

It’s live music, and it’s coming from your fingers.

You can even use your music making talent to entertain guests and that’s another wonderful aspect. An evening of music. Putting own your own exclusive concert and playing with your friends and family is a fun endeavour.

Music tends to bond people, we love singing along to popular or well-known songs with our nearest and dearest, or dramatizing the instrumental.

2. It Engages Your Brain Brilliantly

The second reason why you should learn a musical instrument is because it engages your brain well.

As you learn an instrument, you normally learn how to read music.
You expand your thinking and pick up knowledge that you use both for theory exercises and playing.
Playing music can also help you to improve your memory, both through playing songs repeatedly and remembering the musical notes.

Research suggests that playing an instrument changes the shape and power of the brain. It can be used in therapy to improve cognitive skills. By learning to play an musical instrument, you may be unlocking another part of your brain. One of my favourite types of personal development!

Some scientists even believe that learning a musical instrument can increase your IQ by seven points!

3. It Takes Commitment- and That Looks Good

Playing an instrument takes commitment, as with learning many other skills in life. You won’t turn into an expert on your first lesson. The fact that learning an instrument takes dedication and commitment, makes it appealing to others. It shows that you can focus and apply yourself and that looks good on a resume.

Learning to play an instrument can also teach children to be more self-disciplined, more attentive, and better at planning.
These traits are helpful when it comes to academics, so by teaching your child to play a musical instrument you might be helping them get brighter.

I think that music lessons are a great addition to a child’s schedule and something they can take pride in.

4. You Work with Others Better

When you learn a musical instrument, you will often learn how to play in harmony with others.

It’s very important to be able to listen to the other person (or people).

You don’t want to block their sound out, you want to enhance it.

So many would agree that this can help you develop better team skills and cooperation.

This can be tricky to master at first, but with time and experience you are able to be part of an ensemble of instruments, a music combination that sounds almost heavenly.

5. Gaining Performance Skills and Confidence

Learning a musical instrument teaches you performance skills, because once you become good, hopefully you won’t keep your playing to yourself.

I mean, it’s kind of the goal (to perform) when you learn one.

Many times you will have to play in front of an audience, even a large audience or at a group concert.

Therefore I think that you learn to develop a vital quality- confidence. The confidence to be able to play in front of your friends but also strangers.
To be able to pick yourself back up if you make a mistake (and I promise you all of us musicians make mistakes at one point or another).

You also get to experience the thrill and joy from applause after you give a great performance. And when you really enjoy it, you also get to see the happiness on people’s faces because they enjoy watching you play.

6. It Improves Your Coordination

Another reason why you should learn a musical instrument is because it increases your coordination.

You will see this with time when you learn an instrument.

For example, you will notice the dynamic way you are able to move your hands above and around the piano in the blink of an eye and with finesse.

Playing an instrument requires communication and coordination between your hand and your eyes.

You learn a brilliant way of organizing all the elements – breathing, posture, rhythm and motor patterns- and it all comes subconsciously after a lot of practice.

There is continually more evidence that musicians have organizationally and functionally different brains compared to non-musicians, especially in the areas of the brain used in processing and playing music. The areas that control motor skills and memory, grow and become more active.

7. You Learn More Culturally and Historically

Music exposes you to a wide range of cultures, and you learn pieces composed by artists of different backgrounds and upbringing, each with their own unique style.

There is soo much variety from classical to, folk, pop, rock, medieval etc.

Music carries a lot of history and pieces heavily reflect the era they were created in.

While you are learning a musical instrument, you will likely learn more about different artists and the thoughts and feeling behind some of the songs they wrote, which is deeply enriching.

I play the piano, and I would like to learn many more instruments including the guitar.

Thanks for reading this article about the reasons Why You Should Learn a Musical Instrument.

I feel like we are only touching the tip of the iceberg, because I am sure there are many other compelling reasons to learn a musical instrument. If you would like to learn more about the power of music, click here to read this article about that.

'If there's any object in human experience that's a precedent for what a computer should be like, it's a musical instrument: a device where you can explore a huge range of possibilities through an interface that connects your mind and your body, allowing you to be emotionally authentic and expressive.'

Jaron Lanier

Are you learning to play a musical instrument?
Have you mastered one?
I would love to hear your experiences playing music, so comment below!