Why You Should Encourage Your Child To Play An Instrument

Many children, given the opportunity, want to learn to play a musical instrument. They don’t have to be pushed or prodded, they just want to do it. For the most part initial interest is motivated by two factors: (1) It sounds like fun; and (2) Everyone else is doing it.

Some children, however, are tentative about diving into instrumental music. That’s OK. While you should not force your child to do something he doesn’t want to do, be encouraging. Look for openings in conversation that you can use to talk positively about your enthusiasm for music. There are plenty of reasons for doing so.

• Music enhances the quality of our lives, and it surrounds us every day. Can you remember ever going through a day without hearing at least some kind of music? Probably not. Music is so much a part of our culture that to imagine life without it is almost impossible. In short, music is an essential part of daily life.

• Music is not passive, it is active. As important as music is, the role it plays in your child's life should include more than listening to records, watching TV, and attending concerts. Music is something we do.

• Most children love to perform - either by singing or playing an instrument. Remember when, as a toddler, your child danced and sang in front of the TV or made a drum set out of a wastebasket and your stainless steel cookware? Joining band or orchestra offers your child an excellent opportunity to perform or do music (and it saves a lot of wear and tear on that stainless steel cookware).

• In addition to developing a whole new set of physical and mental skills, your child will also learn responsibility, self-discipline, a feeling of self-worth, and the value of cooperation.

While it's true that your child can learn most of these values in other activities, such as playing football or cheerleading, playing an instrument will enhance your child's life for many years to come, long after football and cheerleading are nothing more than a few faded pictures in the school yearbook. In other words, you can do music a lot longer than you can do many other activities.

I work with a small group of older men who play brass instruments. All of them played in grade school, junior high, high school, and even in college. Now in their 60’s, 70’s, and even 80’s, they still enjoy making music on a regular basis.

Members of this musical organization started like your child, as youngsters who wanted to learn to play an instrument. Some of them are excellent musicians, some are average, but all have richer, fuller lives because they made a decision to do music.

Learning to play an instrument involves your child in an activity that helps build important social skills and reinforces a positive sense of self-worth. Most important, playing an instrument meets a basic need to make music and exposes your child to an understanding of the fine arts in a way not possible through listening alone.
Not only that, but it's an investment that lasts a lifetime. What better reasons could there be for joining?

Coming up next: Why kids really join band or orchestra and when to start.