5 Reasons Why Children should Learn to Play Musical Instruments

Learning a musical instrument can have a lot of advantages for children—apart from just being able to play an instrument. These advantages are both mental and emotional. In fact, studies suggest that learning music can also help children in improving their academic performance. If you are a parent and your son/daughter wants to take music lessons at an early age, here are 5 reasons why you should let them go for it-

1. It reduces stress – Learning a musical instrument can help children in reducing stress levels.  Psychologist Daniel J. leptin from the McGill University in Montreal found that music improves the body’s immune system and reduces anxiety.
2. It keeps your mind sharper as you age – A study was done at the University of Kansas Medical Center where they recruited people aged 16 to 83. These people were then divided into two groups: musicians and non-musicians—based on musical experience. Volunteers were instructed to perform several cognitive tests, where the results showed the musicians had higher scores than non-musician. This suggests that learning a musical instrument can help children in keeping their minds sharper as they age.
3. It improves verbal memory and childhood literacy – Dr Nina Krauss and her team at North-Western University tested children on their ability to read and recognize words as related to musical training. Krauss explains music and reading are related via cognitive mechanism—a mechanism for improvements in literacy seen with musical training, for example, learning guitar.
4. It improves hand-eye coordination – Researchers at Concordia University found that musicians have stronger white matter connectivity in the brain as compared to non-musicians. These connections are associated with hand-eye coordination. So, learning a musical instrument might help children in improving their hand-eye coordination.
5. It inspires creativity – When you are playing a musical instrument, you are using both sides of your brain for reading music and playing. When you do this, you partake in a creative technique called divergent thinking. Because musicians practice this technique a lot, research was done at Vanderbilt University where it was found that musicians are better at problem-solving and thinking outside of the box.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to learning music, it doesn’t really matter whether you are 7 or 70. It’s never too late to pick up an instrument—and start with the lessons? If your child wants to know how to learn the piano, there are some really cool apps that they can try. These apps are especially good for those who just don’t have time for the traditional music lessons. All you need is your piano and your computer/laptop—and the apps will give your child feedback on where they went wrong.

If you want to know about the best music courses available for your child online, visit Journey to Music Mastery. At this website, you can find a variety of music learning programs with their important details and cost. You can read about these programs, check their honest reviews, and pick what best suits your need.