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7 Proven Benefits of Music Education
If you want your child to get ahead academically and socially, dedicating time to learning an instrument and understanding music is the best, most enjoyable, way to give your child an advantage.
Learning an instrument has been proven to enhance the most important academic skills – as well as learning something enjoyable, a musical education is like a workout for all your other academic skills.
Let’s look at the top 7 ways a musical education can help your child:
1. Improving Math
Listening to music has been documented to improve math skills and cognitive function (the Mozart effect) but learning to play an instrument improves math specifically because…music is math itself. Beats per bar, time signatures, syncopation – it’s all math, and complex math too. Children who learn to play an instrument are better equipped to cope with complex math problems than children who do not learn an instrument.
2. Higher IQ boost
Would you like to boost your IQ by an average of 7 points?
Learning an instrument, practiced every day, helps develop visuospatial reasoning (or spacial IQ). This is crucial in many academic and professional fields and involves the minds capacity to imagine or visualize objects and their spatial relationships in your mind.
Learning piano, for example, increases cognitive abilities – comprehension, spelling aptitude, memory , alertness, perception and attention span. Physically, playing an instrument improves neurone connectivity which means faster retrieval of information. Perfect for sitting exams!
3. Attention and perseverance
To really achieve academic success, children need to be able to concentrate and persevere. In a world where children are easily distracted and can flick between multiple screens with ease, the discipline and reward of learning to play and enjoy music is in stark contrast to iPhone screens and game consoles.
Learning an instrument crucially teaches children to persevere in tested tasks.
4. Better time management
Children need to learn to be independent. Alongside learning the fundamentals of music theory and the instrument itself, a big part of learning to play is being taught how to manage practice time. Practicing shouldn’t be a punishment – when encouraged and shown how to plan and organize themselves, children will begin to enjoy the excitement of improving their musical skill. Organization is a hard skill to learn and one which is important throughout life.
5. Building self-esteem
Playing an instrument helps children feel comfortable with self expression. It won’t be long until they are playing in front of teachers and parents. And they will most likely end up playing alongside other pupils in ensembles. We encourage regular performances at the Mashrek Academy of Music, starting with the safe environment of teachers and peers, working towards concert audiences.
Playing in front of an audience and along with other musicians helps with confidence socially and in other academic areas.
6. Improved articulation and language skills
Playing an instrument improves listening skills – very important in a noisy classroom. Children who learn instruments are better at interpreting nuance in language and changes in the human voice. The benefits have been seen in all children including those with dyslexia and autism.
7. Happiness
There is a lot of pressure on children to succeed, learn and work hard. Learning an instrument isn’t just learning how to play a tune – it provides a powerful sense of achievement, reducing stress (your brain physically develops faster in regulating emotions and anxiety) and gives a purpose and meaning. Music is an incredibly social activity, just like sport, teaching empathy and cooperation with others.
Learning an instrument is fun.
Understanding the benefits a musical education offers our students is at the very heart of why, as we approach 30 years of excellence, the Mashrek International School has launched the Mashrek Academy of Music.
We’d love to talk to you about nurturing your child’s musical education – contact us here for more information.
Admissions
MAM welcomes students aged 5 and above with or without prior musical experience and is open to students from and outside the Mashrek International School community.
Follow the link below for full details.