9 Key Benefits to Studying Music
Here at Kalamazoo Music School, we’ve been playing music for decades. It is a truly rewarding path and we wanted to inspire you with some of the benefits of studying music.
We live in a world where you can spend your time in MANY ways. With all the opportunities offered up to us, competing for our attention, why choose to play an instrument or learn to sing? Because there is nothing else quite like the feeling of playing music! It is a special gift to yourself and to others. It is a lifelong treasure.
1. Music is good for your health
Research shows that playing music lowers your blood pressure and reduces stress and anxiety levels. It even strengthens your immunological response - something we ALL can benefit from right now! Additionally, you can keep playing music even into old age. It’s a social activity that keeps our minds active and that protects our brains against Alzheimer’s and dementia.
2. Studying music makes you smarter
Studies show that whether you are young or old, learning music enhances the mind. The younger you start learning, the more drastic the changes are to your brain in verbal memory, spatial reasoning, and literacy skills. For older adults, a research study gave ages 60-85 piano lessons for six months. After those six months, they exhibited improved memory, verbal fluency, information processing skills, and other cognitive functions. Studying music reaches parts of our brains that nothing else can.
3. Knowing how to play boosts your social life
When you know how to play an instrument, you’re able to share something beautiful for your loved ones to enjoy, which brings you closer. If you decide to play music in a public setting, you might make some new friends. And, if you play with a group of musicians, forming a band or ensemble, there’s an incredible sense of fellowship shared as you collectively produce so much more than an individual can. Nothing beats a good old-fashioned hang/jam session with other musicians and the bonds and friendships you make are priceless!
4. Preparing for performance develops confidence
Have you ever wondered how some people can go on stage in front of hundreds or even thousands of people and perform? Well, it takes a whole lot of self-confidence and belief in yourself to do that - no matter how good you are. Learning music gives you opportunities to put yourself in that situation and more importantly, to experience pulling through them! The audience can be small, but when you pull off a performance, you will feel a whole lot better about yourself. This confidence overflows into other areas of your life.
5. Playing music gets your creative juices flowing
Playing music is all about getting a grasp on basic concepts and rules and then expressing yourself within those parameters. There’s an expression - “you have to know the rules in order to break them well.” Songwriting, composing, improvising solos, and re-performing existing songs are the ways in which we can express ourselves. The more you know, the more tools in your toolbox to create something new. It’s no surprise that research has shown that numerous successful people studied music at one point in their lives.
6. Becoming a musician makes you a team player
Musicians often play with other musicians - that’s where the magic happens! When you play with others, it’s a deep process of connecting with the group, watching faces and body language to know how to show up on your instrument. This ability to listen to what everyone is “saying” and find a good solution translates into other parts of your life and that makes you a great team player.
7. Learning to play develops character
They say that the best things in life are worth waiting and/or working for and being able to play music is no exception. The way it develops you as a person is incredible! It requires commitment and perseverance. It requires facing your weaknesses and learning to work through them. You can treat the whole experience as a lesson in the importance of patience and discipline, which again, flows over into other areas of your life. The rewards are all yours to enjoy and share with others.
8. Music is a powerful stress reliever
It’s easy to get lost in just listening to your favorite music. But, when you can actually practice and play that music, it’s entrancing. In this time of added pandemic stress, there’s relief in immersing yourself in your online music class or jamming out your emotions by yourself at home.
9. Music is FUN!
Last but definitely not least, playing music is fun. Learning it can be frustrating at times, but that’s true no matter what new skill you’re learning. When you reach the level to be able to play something, it can be totally awesome! At first, it’s a personal sense of achievement, but then, when you play with others - it’s utter enjoyment! It’s a healthy hobby and we promise you will never regret making the decision to start learning.