Learning to play an instrument is an amazing, engaging activity with lifelong benefits. The connection to different parts of your brain, the discipline around practice, and exploration of creativity through music, can all help your child grow—physically, mentally, and even socially.

Here are some reasons why (and how) learning an instrument can change your children’s lives for the better:

Better Multitasking & Hand-Eye Coordination

All musical instruments require you to do multiple things at once. You have to read music from a sheet while moving both of your hands or all of your fingers at different times. If your child has ever struggled with multitasking or hand-eye coordination, you might consider drum lessons, piano lessons, or guitar lessons. These instruments (and others, of course) require using both hands in different ways—simultaneously.

This practice can help them juggle lots of things at once, and the skills they develop here can be transferred to other areas of their life, too—like school or work. 

Improves Memory & Retention

Learning to play an instrument will also improve a child’s memory retention skills. It’s all about reading and remembering music or certain patterns. Your child has to remember what they did in their last lesson to avoid falling behind. They’ll also get to the point where they can play entire pieces without needing sheet music because the information and instructions stick in their head.

Long-term memory and retention skills are incredibly important, especially as your child grows and experiences tests, certification exams, or high-pressure tasks at work.

Offers A Way To Express Emotions

Some kids have difficulty getting their emotions out or saying how they feel. Music is a beautiful way to give them the key to their emotions. Your child may struggle to get across what they’re feeling, but they can use their instrument as a tool to express themselves. As a parent, you can also learn a lot about how your child feels by listening to them play. 

Increases General Intelligence

This might sound strange, but learning an instrument has been linked to increasing your intelligence. There are genuine studies that show this is the case, and it’s down to how your brain works when you play music. The more you play, the more you train your brain and improve cognitive abilities. 

So, if you truly want to help your kids in school, then encouraging them to learn an instrument could be the best thing possible! It literally helps them become smarter, while also developing all of the other key skills mentioned earlier. Of course, you should never force your child to do anything they don’t like. Introduce the idea of music lessons, get them to take a few based on different instruments, and if they have fun, then let them pick what they want to play.

Featured Image Credit: Vitaly Gariev