Exposing kids to music at an early age increases brain plasticity and opens the brain to learning conditions that can help the child in other disciplines.
For example, the academic achievement of 6,500 low-income students was analyzed by James S. Catterall, a Professor at UCLA. He discovered that over 41% of students who took art courses early on were in the top half of the class by the 10th grade. He also noted that only about 1 in 4 students in the top half of their class had never engaged themselves in learning any form of music instrument. Exposing a child to music at an early stage helps the kid perform much better later in school.
As noted by the Portland Chamber Orchestra, multiple components of the central and peripheral nervous system are needed to play any musical instrument. When playing a musical instrument, the motor system in the brain controls both the fine and gross movement needed to produce sound.
This sound is processed by the auditory circuitry, thus enabling the motor control centers to adjust signaling. Emotional responses can be processed through music by the brain - that is why we can get really emotional listening to some notes and or lyrics.
“Children exposed to a multi-year program of music tuition which involves training and increasingly complex rhythmic tonal and practical skills display superior cognitive performance in reading skills compared with their non-musically trained peers” – Journal Psychology of Music Report.
Simply put, reading skills in kids can be greatly enhanced through music education. Music has the capacity to awaken the visual, cognitive, emotional and auditory responses in children. It was also noted that music facilitates the learning of a new language and improvement of vocabulary more effectively than speech.
These are only some of the benefits of picking up an instrument. As seen from the benefits enumerated above, there are many things that come with playing. You’re not too young, neither are you too old.
Indeed, Music is for everyone!