What are some benefits in learning to play an instrument?
Learning to play music is fun and enjoyable, and you will learn many skills along the way. As an educator, I find that learning how to play a stringed instrument develops critical thinking skills. Students must learn through kinesthetic, aural, and visual processes. Children are taught how to read music, how to process the notes on the page into pleasant sounding music, and learn how to become creatively involved in the end musical product. Students also learn to listen to each other, learn how to work together towards the same goal, learn to lead, to follow, and to take pride in their work. The Texas Music Educators Association has a very good website for more information on the benefits of learning music. They have published SAT scores for those students that have auditioned and been accepted to the All State Orchestras, Bands, Choirs and Jazz Bands. I find it interesting to note that the orchestra students have consistently scored higher than the other students, and several hundred
