Music can have many benefits for young children, from improving academic performance to boosting self-esteem. However, your kid won’t reap these benefits from slapping on earphones and watching a bunch of music videos. No, they must experience music by learning to play an instrument.
If you’re considering buying your child a guitar or flute for Christmas, these eight benefits might just convince you to fork over the cash.
1. Builds Social Skills
Playing an instrument is an excellent hobby to enjoy alone. However, your child may also use their newfound musical skills to connect with others. Allow them to join the school marching band or encourage them to start their own musical group so they can meet fellow musicians.
Your child will learn to respect their peers as they listen to others play. Plus, they’ll build their communication skills, find new motivation to practice and collaborate with others to create new sounds.
2. Promotes Bonding
Gifting your kid an instrument can also promote familial bonding, especially if you play an instrument yourself. Consider passing on your knowledge to your child. Give them private lessons, teach them how to play your favorite songs and write a few originals together.
If you don’t know how to play, learn together here. Sometimes, struggling along with your kid will encourage them to keep trying, even if you never master the piano or violin. String instruments are particularly tricky as they require extra care, maintenance, and additional expenses on materials such as rosin. Check out this tutorial if you would like to know what is rosin used for on a violin bow.
3. Teaches Patience
Learning to play an instrument takes practice. No one becomes a rockstar overnight, so it’s wise to manage your expectations. Remind your child that good things take time and that patience is a virtue. If they stick with it, their hard work will eventually pay off.
Plus, about 85% of kids will build their resiliency and patience after a year of taking lessons. So, if your kid is struggling in the beginning, keep encouraging them to embrace the challenge.
4. Boosts Self-Esteem
If your child struggles with self-esteem, a trumpet or flute would make an excellent gift this Christmas. These instruments — and others like them — require maintenance and constant attention, especially if your child plays them often. Your little one will now have the responsibility of cleaning, carrying and storing it correctly.
As they learn to care for their instrument, they’ll begin to take pride in themselves and their work, which ultimately boosts their self-esteem.
5. Relieves Stress
Tickling the ivories and strumming the guitar are some of the best stress-relievers, especially for those who are musically inclined. As your kid picks up on new skills and begins to play with ease, you may notice them playing when they’re experiencing anxiety or stress. By the end of their jam session, they’ll likely feel much better. Thus, gifting your child an instrument may provide them with a healthy way to express themselves and their emotions.
6. Enhances Coordination
Because playing an instrument requires the senses of vision, hearing and touch, your child’s coordination will likely improve the more they practice. As they read each note and convert it into the physical motion of playing, your child exercises multiple brain pathways simultaneously.
Ultimately, this will improve their hand-eye coordination, which will help them run, jump and play safely. They’ll also come to better understand beats and rhythms, which will make joining the marching band much more effortless.
7. Strengthens Memory
Musical training may also be beneficial to your child’s brain development.
Because it integrates information from multiple senses at once, music can literally change the brain’s structure. Science has also shown that mastering an instrument can improve long-term memory and boost mental sharpness. The evidence for these improvements is even more apparent in younger pupils who play for a lifetime.
However, even brief periods of learning can preserve speech processing skills and reduce the risk of developing hearing problems.
8. Improves Academic Performance
Many schools are cutting back on art classes and electives like choir and band. Yet, music reaches parts of the brain that other subjects simply can’t, and it can actually improve overall academic performance.
In addition to improving memory, musical training also enhances your child’s reading, math, prioritization and time management skills. Plus, it strengthens the brain’s executive functioning, which is responsible for problem-solving, decision-making and information retention.
Investing in Your Child’s Future
Depending on which instrument your child is interested in playing, purchasing one can be an expensive investment. However, you must remember that it is just that — an investment. If your kid is serious about wanting to learn the trumpet or clarinet and has agreed to take lessons, you should do your very best to support their passions.
Even if they don’t stick with it, at least you’ll know they received some long-term benefits. Plus, it may open the door to their creativity that would have otherwise remained closed. Ultimately, it’s not about what you’ll gain from their endeavor — it’s about what your child might learn along the way.
