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TheBenefitsofMusictoaYoungChild

Imagineonemillionchildrenaroundtheworldsittingdowntoplaytheinstrumentof
theirchoice.Eachinstrumentmakesadistinctsound,anditisdifferentinshapeandsize.Each
childbeginstobangonadrum,orpushthekeysofthepiano.Thisisthestartofalifetime
relationshipwithmusic.Throughmusicalexploration,childrenwillstarttoproducetunesand
melodiesthatenhanceandencouragecreativeminds.Musicignitesmanyareasofachilds
developmentsuchasintellectual,social,andemotional.Musicisimportantineveryperson'slife
andespeciallyimportantforyoungchildrenwhenlearninganddiscoveringisattheirmost
criticaltime.Aqualitymusiceducationbeyondbangingondrumsandpushingkeysisnecessary
foryoungchildren.Childrencanbenefitgreatlyfromastructuredmusicprogramwitha
disciplinedsetofskills,ratherthanjustexperimentingwithinstruments.
Whilethereisaplace
forexplorationinearlymusiclearning,inordertoassemblethedeepercognitiveandsocial
benefits,astructuredapproachisessential.
Manychildrenstarttheirmusicallearningexperiencebyexploringaninstrumentontheir
ownwithoutanydisciplinedinstruction.Thisisexploratorylearning,andtheeffectispositive
foryoungchildrentobegintheprocessofayounginstrumentlearnerbecomingmusicallyaware.
Intheprocessofexploratorylearning,awidevarietyofinstrumentsdisplayedbymusicteachers
sothatthechildrencanstarttoinvestigatedifferenttypesofsound(Smith3).Listeningto
differenttypesofsoundsandinstrumentswillhelpayoungchildfindtheinstrumentthatismost
appealingtolearn.Thiswillbenefitthechildbyhelpingthemtostartclassifyingandsequencing
differentmusicalpatterns(Smith3).Whenchildrenstarttoinvestigatethesemusicalpatterns,
theybegintoappreciatemusic.Allchildrenmustbegiventheopportunitytoexploresoundsand

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puttogethertunesthemselvesbeforetheycanmoveontoadvancedmusicinstruction(Smith4).
Exploratorymusiclearningcanprovidefoundationsforsoundandmotivateyoungmusiciansto
playmoreadvanced(Smith3).Aschildrenage,thefoundationstheyhavebuiltfromexploratory
musiclearningwillpushthemtonotonlyfurtheradvanceintheirinstrument,butinmusical
educationaswell.Lettingachildexploreanewinstrumentbeforeaformalinstructionwillkeep
theminterestedinplayingpasttheageofeight(Smith6).Furthermore,childrenwhocan
improviseasongandplayatunebyearwillhaveincreasedskillinthefuture.Evenwiththe
properpractice,allstudentscognitivethoughtandabilitymusicallywillbedifferentonmany
levels.Withtherightamountofexploratorylearning,ayoungmusiciancanhavemore
motivationandabetterfoundationforexpertplaying,butthisistheonlyonepartin
understandinghowmusichasapositiveimpactonchildren.
Whileexploratorylearningforyoungchildrenisapositivebeginningforlearningan
instrument,therearelimitations.Awarenessofmusicalsoundsandpatternsarenotenoughfor
theyoungchildtodevelopsocialandmotorskills.Itisimportantforyoungmusicianstogrow
throughstructuredmusiclearninganddeliberatepractice.Studentsmustbecompletelyfocused
andusespecificstrategiestoreachtheirachievement(McCormickandMcPherson39).
Practicingonlyforrecreationwillnotincreaseskillsinmostyoungchildrensoinordertogain
thepositivebenefitsonecangainfrommusic,structureisnecessary.Educationcoursesinmusic
needtomotivateteachersandothermusicalinstructorstopresentgreatermusicexperiencesto
theirprotege(Ponicketal.Smith4).Asmanychildrendonotliketopracticeseriouslyordonot
havetheattentionspantodoso,thedisciplinedworkwillonlyhelptobettertheirmusicskills
andincreasebrainproductivity(Smith8).Manyyoungmusicianscanbenaturallymusical

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withoutteaching,buttheycanbecomemoremusicallyandsociallyadept(PascualLeone19).
Disciplinedworkandstructuredlearningtimehelpschildrentogrowmusicallywhilebettering
theirmotorandsocialskills.Notonlywilltheybecomeskilledinamusicalinstrument,butthey
willpickuphelpfullongtermbenefits.Achildcannotattainacertainlevelofsuccessand
developcertaincognitivebenefitsiftheyareonlyintroducedtoexploratorylearning.While
exploratorylearningwillhelpholdtheirinterest,theywillnotgaintheamplebenefitsthatcome
fromstructuredmusiclearning.
Oneareaofbenefitthatcomesfromlearninganinstrumentisthatofpositivecognitive
effects.Playinganinstrumentcanleadtoshortandlongtermmetacognitivebenefits.As
childrenstarttolearn,theybecomeexperiencedincontrollingtheirowncognitionplanning
learningstrategiestohelpexpeditelearning(McPherson6).AyearstudyconductedatHarvard
MedicalSchool,suggeststhatchildrenwhoplayaninstrumentseeanimprovementinfinemotor
skillsandauditorymonitoringskillsafterjustoneyearofinstruction,comparedtochildrenwho
didnotplayaninstrumentatall(Schlaug224).Childrenwillhavemoreadvancedmovements
andhandeyecoordination.Withtheincreaseofthesemotorskills,thefrontallobeofthebrain
whichiscalledthemotorcortex,increasesthemovementoffingersfasterwhenlearningan
instrument(Hodges4).Fasterfingerswillhelptobettertheperformanceoftheirplaying,andto
othereverydaytasks,suchaswritingwithapencil.Musicallytrainedchildrenhavefasterand
strongerbrainresponsestoothertasksthatrequireswiftermovementofthefingers.Astatistic
foundattheUniversityofNorthCarolinaexhibitsthattheauditorycortexofthebrain,which
primarilyrespondstomusicaltonesis25%largerthananuntrainedmusicalbrain,andthe
cortexisespeciallylargerinchildren.Thechildrenplayingwerealsoscannedwhileplayinga

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pieceonthepiano,onlytofindthatthemotorcomponentsoftheirbrainswerehighlyusedand
exercised(Hodges4).Themusicalbrainhasmanyextendedneuralsystemsworkingwhen
practicinganinstrument,suggestingthatmostofthebrainisbeingusedatthattime.Childrencan
becomemoremusicalanddevelopbetterfineandgrossmotorskillswithrealmusical
interventionsthatarefullofstructure(Campbell196).Fineandgrossmotorskillsarestronger
foryoungmusiciansthatpartakeinstructuredmusiclearning.
Alongwithchildrendevelopingthesefineandgrossmotorskills,thebraincanalsobe
enhancedandadvancedinayoungmusicianlearninganinstrument.Certainareasofthebrainin
musiciansareverydifferentcomparedtothosewhodonotplayaninstrumentandarenot
becomingmusicallyadapted.ResearcherandprofessionalmusicianGottfriedSchlaugexplored
theareaofthebrainthatspecializesinmonitoringbeatandrhythmandfounditwasbiggerin
musiciansthaninchildrenwhodidnotplayaninstrumentatall.Withthebenefitsofhaving
enhancementintheareaofthebrainthatmonitorsthebeatandrhythm,childrenhavean
enhancementofsocialandemotionalinteractionsfromlearninganinstrument.Emotional
reactionisthemostimportantconcepthowever,itisveryhardtostudy.Astudyconductedat
theUniversityofFribourgshowedthatthelearningofaninstrumentenhancedsocialand
academicskillsinchildren(Jensen32).Childrenlearninganinstrumenthaveloweredanxiety
andfear,whichcanhelpthemduringcertainsocialinteractionwiththeirpeers.Thisthencan
leadtoaboostinconfidenceandselfesteem(Clark2).Havingbetterconfidencewillmotivate
youngchildren,andhelpthemtokeepapositiveattitude,whichishealthyforthemind.
Emotionallydisturbedanddisabledpeoplealsocanhaveasuccessfulconnectionwhenlearning
howtoplayaninstrument(Hodges6).Despitetheirlimitationstounderstandrhythms,itisnot

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impossibleforanimpairedpersontoplayaninstrument.Manychildrenwithdisabilitiescan
haveremarkablemusicalabilities.Kidswhosufferfromsocialdisorderslikeautismorhave
developmentalproblemshaveaneasiertimesociallyinteractingwhenhavingmusicintegrated
intotheirlives.Musiccanrelievetheanxietyandstressthatcomesalongwiththeeveryday
socialinteractionsforkidswithautism.Likewise,musicmakesiteasierforthesechildrento
adaptandfitin.Evenifthechilddoesnothaveadevelopmentandsocialdisorder,playingan
instrumentmakesitlessdifficulttospeakmoreefficientlyinsocialsituations,whichcreatesa
morerelaxedenvironmentforspeaking(Jensen31).Emotionalreactiontoaninstrumentis
beneficialtoachildbymakingsocialsituationslessstressfulandgivingchildrenconfidence.
Childreninsocietywhohavehighselfesteemworkbetterinsocialsituationsandaremore
motivatedduringpeeractivities.
Asmusicalsohelpstostrengthenchildrenssocialandemotionalinteractions,learning
aninstrumentcanalsohelptostrengthenachildsacademicsintheclassroom.TheNeural
SymphonyTheorystudiedbymusicalprofessionalfromFieldingGraduateUniversityEric
Jensen,suggeststhatplayinganinstrumentcanleadtohigherbrainactivity(Jensen28).Higher
brainactivityinyoungchildrencanleadthemtobemoreengagedintheclassroomwhen
involvedinmusic.InacountrysuchasJapan,Jensenstatesthatmusictrainingisrequiredand
highlydisciplinedinschoolthroughoutmostoftheiracademiccareers.Japanisoneofthetop
leadersintheworldtoleadingradesandtestscoresamongchildren(Jensen28).Havingmusic
requiredandintegratedintothecurriculumatschoolhelpchildrentobettersucceedinthe
academicclassrooms.AreportfromCollegeBoardstatesthatchildrenwhostudyhighamounts
ofmusicintheircurriculumhavehigherSATscores(Jensen28).Learninganinstrumentatan

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earlyagecanhelpchildrenexceedonstandardizedtestssuchastheACTsandSATsinthe
future.Learningmusicstructurallyforachildwillhelpthemtoexcelmoreintheacademic
classroom,duetoamorefocusedandengagedbrainfromreadingandinteractingwithsheet
musicandmusicalnotes.
Thebenefitsoflearninganinstrumentandbeingasuccessfulmusicstudentasayoung
childwillnotcomebysimplyexploratorylearning.Throughcollectedresearch,thewayof
approachingacertainlearningstyletoplayaninstrumentiscrucialforsuccessandbenefits.
AccordingtomusicprofessionalEricssonfromFieldingGraduateUniversity,musiciansneed
highlevelsofdeliberatepractice[arenecessary]toattainexpertlevelperformance(Hambrick
et.al.2).Inordertogainthepositivebenefitsthatcomefrombeingasuccessfulmusicplayer,
onemusthavestructuredpracticefrequentlywhenlearning,ratherthanjustplayingforfun.A
childssuccessintheinstrumentdoesnotdependsolelyonnaturaltalent,itdependsonhoursof
dedicatedpractice(Hambricket.al.2).Eventhoughmanyyoungmusiciansarenaturallygifted,
gainingcognitiveandsocialbenefitswillonlycomethroughdisciplinedpractice.Many
professionalmusicianscallthisthedeliberatepracticeview,thedevelopmentofaskillful
playerwillnotjustcomefromnaturaltalent,itwillcomefromintensemusicalpractice
(Hambricket.al.3).Studentswhohavegreateramountsofpracticealsoconsciouslyknowifthey
willhaveoncomingsuccessandbecomemoreorganizedwhenlearning(McCormickand
Mcpherson38).Havingorganizationalskillswhenlearningwillhelpthemintheclassroom
academically.Childrenwhouseaselfregulatoryprocesstostimulatethebrainandpracticethe
materialgivenwillhavemorefocusandbettersocialskills.MusicresearchersMcCormickand

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McPhersonstatethatrecreationalplayingdoesnotachievethebenefitsthatcomefrommusic,
onlythemotivationtolearnwillbringsuccesswhenplayinganinstrument.
Thebestwaytoreinforcethemotivationthatisneededforachildtoreceivebettersocial
andemotionalskills,betteracademicachievement,andbettermotorskills,istoplayandpractice
deliberatelyandefficiently.AnotherstudyconductedbyamusiciannamedHallamwhoworked
withyoungmusicperformersbelievesthatpracticingandperformingdependsonhow
successfullytheyhaveacquiredtherangeofauralschemasthatallowthemtomonitorand
controltheirperformance(qtdinMcCormickandMcpherson2).Theprofessionalstrategies
childrenfollowtopracticetheirmusicalinstrumentwillincreasewithbetterexpertise.Young
musiciansdependondomainknowledgetomonitoranddisciplinetheirownplaying.Students
whocanmanagetheirownlearningandmakeaconsciousefforttopracticewithstructurewillbe
successfulinplayinganinstrumentandincreasebenefits.Amusicstudentmustbeabletohave
themotivationandtheefforttopractice.Recreationalplaywillnothelpstudentsacquireawide
rangeofmotorskillsandcognitivebenefits.Childrenwillneedtobeintroducedtoserious,
structuralmusiclessonsinordertobesuccessfulandattainfirstratebenefits.
Thebenefitsofstructuredapproachwhenlearningamusicalinstrumentwillhelp
childrengainexpertiseskillsinthefuture.Notonlywillchildrengaincognitiveandsocial
benefits,butallchildrenshouldhavetheopportunitytoreceivestructuredmusiclessons.These
musiclessonswillbeakeytoanenhanceddevelopmentincreativityandexpressionduringthe
buildingblocksofmusic.Allchildrenneedtheopportunitytobuildconfidenceandenrichtheir
mindsatsuchayoungagethroughmusicandrhythm.Allpeoplecanuseinstrumentsandmusic
toexpressthemselvesemotionallyinanalternativeway.Learninganinstrumenthelpspeopleto

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becomethebestversionsofthemselves.Thisallstartsatearlychildhood,whenlittleonesare
growinginmindandpersonality.Throughmusic,childrencanmoveanduseinnercreativitythey
mighthavenotbeenabletoexpressbefore.Musiccanbringpeopletogether.Musicisthe
languageoftheworldanditstartswiththeyoungmusicianswhogrowwiththemelody.