Life without music would be so monotonous and boring. Music adds the much-needed rhythm in life. It has the power to uplift your mood in a second and brighten up your day. Music is also known to have the power to heal, both physically and mentally. Since it can infuse you with energy, your productivity of work automatically goes up. No one can deny the purpose of music as a stress-buster as well.
Due to these abilities, many studies have been conducted which correlates the usefulness of music in the educational setting. Almost all of them point towards a specific direction. It says that music can help enhance the learning process which is certainly desirable.
Relationship between music, brain and nervous system
The relationship is mostly synergistic in nature. Music is known to elevate the neuroplasticity of the brain and sensitize you to audible components better. In doing so, it can enhance the reading, vocabulary, and comprehensive ability of an individual significantly. There is further evidence that suggests that memory, music, and emotions are all stored in the same region of the brain, which further solidifies the relationship. There are many distractions all around, but music helps to neutralize it effectively. Thus, it can be inferred that a coherent bond exists between music, brain, and the nervous system.
Benefits of musical engagement on learning
Talking about the benefits of musical engagement from the viewpoint of learning, they mainly are-
- Helps improvise language fluency- children who learn about music from a very young age have a better grasping power as far as language is concerned. They can become multi-linguistic and be more fluent in reading, writing, and speaking a language.
- Boosts creativity- music stimulates the left hemisphere of the brain, which is mainly responsible for developing the creative aspect of an individual. Thus, you can even solve difficult problems easily by thinking out of the box.
- Improves cognitive ability- music helps in the betterment of the cognitive ability of a child. There is a marked improvement in grasping power, and learning becomes much faster.
- Helps in pattern recognition- since playing a musical instrument mainly involves frequent repetition, but in a fun manner, the habit is extrapolated to other activities as well. You can pick up patterns better and solve them easily after early recognition.
- Teaches discipline- when you start taking music lessons as a child, you have to be very disciplined to be able to master it. The virtue of discipline is essential in day-to-day life as well, and you will tend to prosper more than the others.
- Helps in the mastery of memorization- while playing any musical instrument, you have to jog and utilize your memory effectively constantly. This will also help you further in life, especially for educational purposes.
- Increased coordination- anyone who has taken any instrument learning lesson will tell you that you need to coordinate different parts of the body in rhythm to play an instrument effectively. Thus, the ability to coordinate is enriched as well.
Music to learn
- Jazz- It is one of the best forms of music to learn, and it is the perfect exercise for your brain. It trains your mind to hear things which you would miss otherwise and also helps you with focussing.
- Instrumental- since it generally involves lyrics as well, your verbal memory will become better along with your skills in learning and literacy.
- Ambient- it is known to have many applications, which includes dealing with pain better and recovery post-workout or exercises.
- Classical- if you want a better cognitive ability and want to stimulate your creative side as well, classical music is the one for you.
Best musical instrument for children
- Piano- once you learn to play the piano, you can become experts in all aspects of music, which mainly includes rhythm, harmony, and melody. The complexities also very immensely. You will develop a good sense of music through this.
- Guitar- there is no other instrument that can teach you bimanual dexterity as well as a guitar. You can apply this ability in all other spheres of life as well.
- Recorder/flute- you can master the art of breathing and proper positioning of a finger through a recorder or flute. It is one of the essential instruments to learn as a child.
- Violin- you will develop a very keen and good ear for annotations once you learn to play the violin. The manual dexterity is an added advantage, as well.
It must have become clear by now that music is a beneficial entity in the development of your learning ability. It is so much fun as well.