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William Shakespeare once said, “If music be the food of love, play on.” Since the beginning of human civilization, the importance and contribution of music cannot be underestimated. It has the power to heal our soul. Playing a musical instrument has many benefits and can bring joy to you and to everyone around you. In this article we will take a look at 10 benefits of playing a music instrument as illustrated by music professional and teacher Michael Matthews. These benefits (in no particular order) will hopefully give you a better sense of appreciation and pride for music. 1. Increases the capacity of your memory. Research has shown that both listening to music played by instrumentalists and playing a musical instrument stimulates your brain and can increase your memory. According to an article from The Telegraph online magazine, “New research suggests that regularly playing an instrument changes the shape and power of the brain and may be used in therapy to improve cognitive skills.” If you learn how to play an instrument, the parts of your brain that control motor skills (ex: using your hands, running, swimming, balancing, etc.), hearing, storing audio information, and memory actually grow and become more active. Other results show that playing an instrument can help your IQ increase by seven points. 2. Boosts your team skills. Team skills are a very important aspect of being successful in life. Playing an instrument requires you to work with others to make music. In band and orchestra settings you must learn how to cooperate with the people around you. Also, in order for a group to make beautiful music, each player and section must learn how to listen to each other and play together. 3. Teaches you perseverance. Learning to play an instrument takes time and effort, which really teaches you patience and perseverance. Most people can’t play every piece of music perfectly the first time. In fact, the majority of musicians have to work difficult sections of music multiple times in a row before they can play it correctly. 4. Fosters your self-expression and relieves stress. It’s your instrument, so you can play whatever you want on it! The more advanced you become on an instrument, the greater you’ll be able to play what you want and how you want. Music is an art–just like an artist can paint his/her emotions onto a canvas, so can a musician play a piece with emotion. This has proven to relieve stress and can be a great form of therapy. In fact, music therapy has been useful in treating children and teens with autism, depression, and other disorders. 5. Creates a sense of achievement. Overcoming musical challenges that you thought you’d never quite master can give you a great sense of pride about yourself. When you first start learning how to play an instrument, it seems like just holding out a note for a couple beats or hitting a high pitch is an amazing accomplishment. As you practice and become a more experienced musician, making beautiful sounding music pleasing not only to your ear, but others as well is a very rewarding experience. 6. Promotes your social skills. Playing an instrument can be a great way to enhance your social skills. Some of the best people join bands and orchestras, and many times the friends you make here become like family. It’s very common for people to gain lifelong friendships through musical activities like these. 7. Boosts your listening skills. Although it’s pretty obvious, playing an instrument requires you to listen very carefully to things. You have to learn how to hear when you’re playing a wrong note in order to correct yourself. Tuning your instrument means hearing if the pitch you’re playing is high (sharp) or low (flat). When playing in an ensemble, you have to listen for the melody and play softer if you’re the supporting part (accompaniment). There are too many examples to list every possibility here, but by playing an instrument you are guaranteed to improve your listening skills. 8. Elevates your performance skills and reduces stage fright. One of the goals of practicing so much on your instrument is so that you can perform for others. The more you get up in front of people and perform, the more you’ll reduce any stage fright. Playing on stage in a band or orchestra helps with stage fright because you are not alone. Also, being prepared and really knowing how to play your part makes it much easier to get up and play for a crowd. 9. Enhances your respiratory system. If you have a good music director/tutor, you should hear them tell you quite often to “use more air!” Air is one of the key components in making wonderful-sounding music. In order to play any piece of music correctly when playing an instrument, you’ll need to take huge breaths and learn how to expel the air properly to make the desired sound. Breathing exercises are highly recommended for musicians, and they can really strengthen your respiratory system. 10. Promotes happiness in your life and those around you. Playing a musical instrument can be very fun and exciting. Not only is it fun to play music that you enjoy, but it feels wonderful to hear an audience applaud you for giving a great performance. It can also be very honorable and gratifying to voluntarily play in your local community and see the happiness on people’s faces because they enjoy watching you play. The Chinese philosopher Confucius said long ago that “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” If you know to play an instrument, hopefully this will motivate you to keep on practicing and always hold music in high esteem. If you don’t know how to play, maybe it’s time to learn. Find a music teacher or school and start learning. A good source to find music instructors is the Skill & Talent website www.SkillCountry.com.
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