Musical study develops skills and attitudes that are readily applied to other disciplines. Even if a student does not become a musician, these skills and attitudes will be beneficial in all areas of academic and professional life.
Self-criticism
Without the willingness to honestly assess current abilities, the student cannot improve. Musical study encourages students to recognize when their skills need improvement and develop strategies to master current challenges.
Discipline
To play music well, students must be willing and able to practice methodically. A lot of musical practice is repetitive, even tedious at times. Musical study requires students to develop enough self-discipline to work through problems consistently and systematically.
Concentration
In today’s hyper-fast, media-saturated world, many students have difficulty concentrating on a single task for very long, and they can be easily distracted. Playing music develops the ability to focus intently on an activity while avoiding distractions.
Problem-solving
When confronted with a big challenge, many students will feel overwhelmed, become discouraged, and stop trying. When studying music, we learn how to break down a big problem into small, manageable parts. Students progress by incremental steps, building one small success upon another until the big challenge has been mastered.
Persistence in the face of disappointing results
Learning music can be difficult. There are many opportunities for failure along the path to ultimate success. Music students develop the maturity to stick with a challenging assignment, secure in the knowledge that they will eventually overcome obstacles and make progress.
Good posture, poise, and self-confidence
There are many physical aspects to playing a musical instrument, not the least of which is good posture. Developing good posture at an early age will do a lot to improve a young person’s overall health and appearance. Performing music for others teaches students to graciously accept praise as well as to respect constructive criticism. The experience of successfully performing music instills lasting self-confidence in music students.
Working cooperatively with others
Playing music with others requires many aspects of cooperative work. Students must learn to listen to the other musicians and observe the conductor. By understanding when they should and should not play, they learn to follow directions. By recognizing the skills of more advanced players, they learn respect for others. Ensemble playing builds teamwork, as all the musicians in an ensemble depend on each other to do their best in service of the group effort.
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Contents
- Fundamentals
- Practice
- Theory
© 2015 Frank Poloney
Jazz Flute Project 