We all want our children to do well and to be as smart and as successful as they can be. There are always new methods being discovered that reveal how parents can encourage mental growth in their children. One of the ways to promote growth is though learning a musical instrument.
Teaching children a musical instrument is one of the most fascinating ways we can help our children develop.
Whether it is a piano, trumpet, flute or guitar, small children can develop valuable skills and improve brain functions as they learn to play. Here are a few ways that happens:
1. Helps Multitask
Playing music is a highly technical accomplishment, and it becomes even more so after musicians reach a higher level of skill and experience. As the brain learns to operate the instrument, the ability to process multiple kinds of information at once becomes easier.
Multisensory skills develop in ways they would not normally. Kids have to learn how to process information from a few different senses at the same time, since they will be touching the instrument, hearing the music and looking at the sheet music.
Using all these skills together and incorporating multiple senses into the learning process can improve the child’s ability to process information from multiple sources.
2. Regulates Emotions
Kids are notorious for having trouble controlling their emotions. Their outbursts, temper tantrums and ability to cry over absolutely anything means that they could use some help taking charge of their emotions. Music enables them to do that.
Research has shown that children who learn a musical instrument are more likely to have better control of their emotions. It may have something to do with the discipline required for music education. Emotional maturity is a sign of improved cognitive function and will help children as they try to learn other skills and communicate with people around them.
While we may not see emotional maturity and emotional intelligence as signs of a child being smarter, they really are.
3. Improves Academic Performance
This is a long known fact about music education and children. Those kids who learn an instrument from an early age do better in their schooling. They tend to perform better academically than other children and have less trouble learning new concepts and performing well on tests. This has been called the “Mozart effect,” and many parents have seen it work for their own children.
4. Boosts Social Development
Kids who take music lessons often have the opportunity to travel. They will interact with teachers, other music students, and audiences as they learn and perform. This allows them to grow socially, improving their ability to communicate, work together and develop relationships. Music exposes them to different cultures as well, which can be great for their empathy, understanding and love of other people and countries.
Conclusion
If you want your kid to perform well and become smarter, then helping them to learn a musical instrument can be a great way to do that. It can be a skill that sticks with them for the rest of their life, and the learning process can improve their mental abilities by leaps and bounds.
Simon Dupree discovered he has a passion for music from a very young age. Ever since then, music has been an essential part of his life. When he is not practicing, he’s probably behind the keyboard writing for Music Groupies.
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