Extra-curricular activities are fantastically beneficial to children. Each type of club or class comes with its own set of advantages and life lessons. With that in mind, it’s a great idea to encourage your child to learn a musical instrument. An independent day school in Oxford explores further below.

Learning Time Management

Whilst you could argue that learning a musical instrument is quite a solitary hobby.  There are in fact an abundance of benefits that aren’t necessarily available in team sports and other clubs. First and foremost, a child who has music lessons must not only find time in their busy schedules for a weekly session but also time for practice. Being able to successfully balance a hectic lifestyle in such a way that doesn’t jeopardise other aspects of life, such as school or socialisation, is a really crucial skill that all children can benefit from.

Building Other Valuable Skills

Aside from the ability to play an instrument, music lessons teach children the importance of perseverance. Even when a particular piece of music is proving rather difficult, the musician must work hard to overcome the challenge and not give up. Essentially, this helps children understand the mantra “practice makes perfect”. From time to time, your child will be asked to perform a piece of music in front of another person, or even multiple people.  This may seem daunting at first.  But will eventually help them grow into a confident young individual. The praise and applause they receive at the end will also give them a well-deserved boost in self-esteem.

If you do decide to encourage your child to learn a musical instrument, it’s important to let them decide on their own which instrument to go for. If you choose on their behalf and they’re not actually interested they will not feel motivated to continue learning and practising. As a result it is likely that you will waste money on the instrument and the lessons.