Monday 15 January 2018

Learning a Musical Instrument Builds Self-Esteem



Today people of all ages are taking up learning a musical instrument or learning to sing. What is one of the biggest benefits of learning a musical instrument? It is the development of Self-Esteem.


Why is this?

As many people become older they often express the thought that at some point in life they felt they had developed low self-esteem.

Sometimes even as parents we observe in our children a lack of self-esteem, sometimes due to bullying at school or from peer pressure among friends ,sometimes from illness or circumstances in life and we look for ways to assist our child to become more confident and to have greater self-esteem...to feel good about themselves and their unique personality and abilities.

On the other hand ,as adults at some point in our life we might experience difficult situations and circumstances that can deplete our self-esteem.

When a child or an adult learns a musical instrument or learns to sing well there can often be a dramatic increase in that students' self-esteem. Very often over time, from being shy, or timid or nervous , music students who are encouraged and praised for their efforts and progress will begin and continue to demonstrate tremendous improvement in their self-esteem.

The reasons for the development of self-esteem in music students include:

*Learning to play a musical instrument , including singing, is a unique experience for each student. Everyone has a different learning style and when a new piece is mastered the quality of self-esteem begins to develop.

*Mastering a new skill on a musical instrument is very rewarding. As a student realises that hard work and practise is required to master a certain skill they feel happy with the effort they have put into learning that new skill when it is mastered. Each small accomplishment builds self-esteem.

*When a student plays or sings for others, perhaps only to family members initially, they feel very happy that they are progressing and accomplishing something that not everyone has the ability or desire to do.

*When a student looks back after a few months or years of learning they can see the great progress that has been made by continual practice and perseverance. This builds self-esteem. Students  have a strong sense of personal accomplishment.

*Learning a musical instrument provides numerous opportunities for the student to play in group situations. This provides more opportunities for positive social interactions with others of varying ages who have a common interest--the art of playing and enjoying music.

The above are only a few of the many reasons why learning a musical instrument builds self-esteem.