Study Says Learning Instrument Boosts Children’s Memory, Focus, and Emotional Skills

The Benefits of Learning an Instrument for the Brain

Teaching a child how to play a musical instrument helps them to create pleasant sounds but more than that it actually influences the development of their brain by improving their concentration and strengthening their emotional perception. Music education has always been revered for its social and creative worth, but scientific studies are now proving it to be of equal value in its cognitive and emotional benefits.

Increased Memory and Cognitive Skills

Learning to play an instrument effectively is stimulating to the child’s brain in many aspects. It forces a child to coordinate hand movement with reading notes and listening at the same time. This multi-sensory experience encourages memory recall in both a short and long term way. Children must memorize fingerings, rhythms and melodies which teach the brain to store information in the memory and maximize retrieval time. Studies have shown that children who regularly practice an instrument also improve their performance in other areas of memory activity in languages and even mathematics.

Greater Focus and Discipline

In addition to memory, music also improves focus. Learning to play an instrument requires sustained attention, an increasingly uncommon commodity in a screen-and-interruption-filled world. A child who practices focusing on timing, pitch, and accuracy develops patience and discipline. Over time, this focus also leads to improved attention in school and daily problem-solving situations. Unlike passive activities, music provides active involvement, teaching children to get through mistakes to improve, an invaluable skill beyond the practice room, gradually.

Another important benefit relates to emotional growth. Music is an expressive art that helps children express themselves. Even when words may fail them, music gives them a means to channel their feeling. Playing a certain piece may help a child understand or deal with sadness, happiness, excitement, or other emotions. Music also gives children in groups, such as school bands or ensembles, a sense of empathy and cooperation.