Just about everyone enjoys music, whether it’s classical, rock and roll, pop, jazz, folk, or one of the many other forms. A lot of people like music so much that they learn how to play an instrument. At first, individuals often learn to play an instrument because it’s fun and they enjoy creating music. But, did you know that playing an instrument also has many other benefits? Here are some of the main benefits you can unlock by learning to play an instrument:
- Increased Brain Function – Playing an instrument leads to increased cognitive ability and memory capability since it engages almost every part of your brain. Musicians also tend to have more gray matter in their brains, which affects our information processing power.
- Creativity – Playing an instrument also helps you to be more creative. While you may start out learning to play other musicians’ songs, once you have a more complete understanding of music and your specific instrument, you will be able to do more on your own. This includes trying different sounds, arranging your own music, and even writing your own songs.
- Stress Reduction – Another benefit of playing an instrument is that it helps reduce stress. When playing music, you are focusing on a specific task and putting all of your energy toward that positive activity. This can decrease your stress levels, which also has an effect on blood pressure, heart rate, anxiety, and depression.
- Mathematics – At its core, music is built upon mathematics since it is constructed with strictly counted measures and beats. Learning to play an instrument helps you improve your math skills by intuitively recognizing patterns and understanding what each note, beat, and measure means.
- Reading and Listening Skills – You increase your reading and listening skills when you learn to play an instrument because you are reading the music notes and listening to the corresponding sounds that they make. You learn to process the information on the sheet music in front of you and isolate individual sounds when you play. In this way, you determine if the corresponding sound is in the right time and tune when you play it.
- Confidence Boost – Playing an instrument also helps boost your confidence as you will probably end up playing in front of other people at some point. This instills the courage to put yourself out there, believe in the work that you’ve put in, and be okay even if everything doesn’t go perfectly.
- Increased Patience and Personal Discipline – The process of learning to play an instrument also increases your patience and discipline. Playing an instrument is not easy and you’ll mess up thousands of times even after you learn how to play. But, it teaches you to have patience with yourself and in the music-making process, while also training you to not give up when things get difficult.
- Sharing and Connecting with Others – Playing an instrument also helps you express yourself and connect with others. Maybe you share your musical talents with your family or friends, join the band at school, or start a band of your own and make your own music. All of these options help you open up and bond with others.
The Rockit Live Foundation aims to help develop, nurture, and inspire young musicians to reach their full artistic potential through live music education offered at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey. We’re a professional rock school that wants our students to succeed, which is why we have auditions for our program, bring kids together in bands, and offer scholarships to help young musicians receive a quality education. Auditions for the Rockit Academy 2021 Fall Session take place on Saturday, September 11th, so be sure to submit your application if you’re interested in participating! You can also find out more information about how you can get involved with our organization by exploring our programs, making a donation, or contacting us today!