Learning music can be the beginning of a promising and fulfilling journey. One that is filled to the brim with nuances of creativity and immense variety. From the moment you learn how to play an instrument, you may see other day-to-day tasks becoming easier. Thus, knowing the various benefits of learning a musical instrument may provide the encouragement that you need to play on.

Whether it’s a child, a teenager or an adult, it’s never too late to indulge in a skill building exercise. Especially one whose benefits can be psychological and emotional and prove as a universal tool for development. So if you’re on the fence about picking up an instrument or handing one to your kids, here are a few benefits of learning to play a musical instrument.

Music is a pool of creativity:

They say Music is a universal language, and languages are used to express thought. Similarly, learning music is a way to express your creative voice. When you get past the basics of an instrument, it isn’t hard to put various notes together and create melodies that are unique to you.

There is always room for originality. Limiting yourself to playing the same old songs could plateau growth as an artist and musician. It is therefore recommended to play around, quite literally, on your piano, guitar, trumpet, drums and bass to let the creative juices flow.

It’s a fantastic confidence builder:

You may have that relative, who is oh so engrossed in hearing you sing everytime they come over. There exists a sense of fear when other people watch you play. Your mind goes into overdrive wondering what they’ll think. But it’s a great exercise to ensure practicing so that feeling conscious is reduced and performing better is the highlight.

Practicing your music can go a long way in getting rid of that stage fright and build a confident persona. Whether as a child or an adult, practicing your music with your fellow students at music school or in front of an audience is a stepping stone to building self confidence.

Promotes coordination:

Musicians often speak of dexterity and coordination. Apart from drumsticks and guitar picks, these two parameters make up the primary toolkit of any musician. Children especially can reap the benefits of learning a musical instrument at a very early age. Learning music requires a considerable amount of time. This helps kids build patience and discipline by gradually building their coordination.

It works like this; no one can learn music overnight. Building speed and dexterity doesn’t come instantly. This leads to a slow, steady and consistent learning curve. This improves the learner’s hand eye coordination and encourages patience.

A great example for this could be playing arpeggios on a guitar, or perhaps learning to play the piano with both hands and the gradual curve of development to building speed and rhythm.

Enhances the Brain’s capabilities:

If Music can improve coordination, it most certainly means that the brain’s capabilities are being exercised to improve. A scientific study from the Journal of Neuroscience found that the presence of gray matter in the brain for professional musicians was more than that of the amateurs.

Gray matter in the brain is responsible for processing all incoming information, which is why a consistent training routine is important. This is also in turn helpful to younger children looking to learn an instrument as it improves academic prowess.

It’s Therapeutic for everyone:

We’ve heard this at least once in our lives “Music is like therapy”, and rightly so!

Music is the most approachable, timeless and ageless stress buster. Everyone has a favorite genre and each one of us can relate to the art is some way, shape or form.

Playing and making one’s own music can be absolutely refreshing to the mind & soul and is proven to be a harbinger of good mental health. Take for example, the soothing sounds of the piano or flute are known to invoke various emotions and provide a sense of relaxation.

Ultimately the instrument that you may pick for yourself or your child is destined to become an extension of yourself. Allowing yourself to be ensnared by the potentially life changing experiences that come along with learning music can be fruitful in the long run.