Learning to play music has been proven to increase math scores in children, and most of us take this as an accepted fact. Yet, there are additional benefits as well and not all of them apply just to children. For anyone who has ever wanted to take piano lessons or any type of music lessons, the range of benefits are extensive.
While many studies have been performed that suggest school performance in all areas, not just math, have improved when music has been introduced into the school system there are also a wide variety of emotional benefits as well. Kids and adults alike can find a very unique emotional outlet for self expression through learning to play an instrument or taking singing lessons.
This emotional outlet has also provided case study individuals with a greater scope of communicative abilities when it comes to appropriate expression of feelings. These individuals were proven to have fewer rage issues and often didn’t get as angry as those who never chose to partake in the tune.
Drum lessons have been hypothesized to be an exceptional emotional outlet for kids and adults. While it has been stated that emotional benefits do not come solely from being good at a chosen instrument or vocalization, drum players tend to have a unique and interesting take on expressing emotion. Many believe that the drums help individuals express their emotions in shorter waves and hang on to negative emotions for less time. It’s an interesting theory.
Guitar lessons tend to attract those of who are more likely to express themselves in a soulful nature. They are the often the individuals who like expression to come in a range of different forms and use them all. While there are certainly exceptions to every rule, the studies have indicated that guitar players are often likely to have stronger language skills.
Those who engage in singing lessons have been shown to have a higher than average level of self confidence. Again, this applies to adults and children. Those who learn to sing, even if they don’t sing very well, tend to feel better about themselves and are more willing to put forth an attempt at learning something new and failing. The reason for this connection is not clear, other than the idea that vocal expression through singing may very well instill a sense of anti-judgment for the singer.
The correlation between the instrument and the individual is not always able to be sliced into a personality type or a guaranteed method of self expression. Many studies have been done at the University level while others have been done at a more casual level. There is, regardless, scientific evidence that there is a strong connection between healthy emotional expression and music lessons.
It’s never too late to start exploring the benefits of music. If you’re an adult and you’re interested in picking up an instrument or learning to vocalize you certainly have every capability to do so. It’s just a function of finding an instructor that works well with you. All lessons can be tailored to increase or decrease the student’s level of competitiveness regarding their instrument, and those who simply want to learn better expressive skills are more then welcome to join in.
