Will listening to music make you smarter? Will learning to play a musical instrument make your brain grow larger than normal? Questions like these ones have been popping up all over the place in the past few years, and not just in scientific journals either.

For example music courses are a great way to learn about virtually any area of music; history, theory, and musical instrument instruction — you name it and somewhere music courses specialize in it.

And everyone knows that the teenage years can be challenging. The many physical and emotional changes can be difficult to deal with. It is very important for teenagers to have an outlet; a way to express themselves. Sports and music are good examples of outlets.

However, it can be difficult to break into a sport as a teenager. The recreational sports programs have become very competitive. Children are playing the same sports for three seasons a year as opposed to children playing three different sports a year. Some levels in the recreational programs have been raised to the levels of select or traveling leagues. If you are an average player, joining a team as a preteen or teen may be intimidating.

Music, on the other hand, offers many opportunities even for the preteen or teen that didn’t have an interest as a child. There are schools and music teachers who offer lessons for children and adults of any age. There are ‘self-teaching’ keyboards and guitars which give basic instruction at an individual pace. Practicing an instrument can be done in the privacy of the home and builds confidence.

The Benefits of Music Education

The trick for parents is to enroll their teenagers in high quality programs and assist them in purchasing high quality instruments. There are indeed many benefits to be realized from a musical education is listed below.

Playing a Musical Instrument Can:

* Help your teens develop a commitment to excellence
* Help your teens develop self-esteem
* Provide an opportunity for your teens to experience self-expression, creativity, and heightened achievement
* Engage the imagination
* Contribute to a balanced, positive, challenging, and stimulating education
* Prepare your teens for other stages of development and participation in society by fostering dedication and sensitivity
* Increase your teen’s brain development, math abilities, and higher thinking skills
* Help your teens develop perseverance when things are looking bleak and hopeless
* Raise your teen’s awareness
* Expand your teen’s knowledge
* Help your teen develop mind and body coordination
* Contribute to your teen’s spiritual growth
* Help your teens develop teamwork skills
* Be a source of great fun!

Learning an instrument has many academic and social benefits. Music is linked to higher test scores, improved coordination, concentration levels, and study discipline. Other benefits include improved language, social, and memory skills.

During middle school and high school, the world of preteens and teens begin to grow. Bigger schools mean more acquaintances and opportunities. Preteens and teens start to separate from their childhood buddies and begin to make new friends with others who share the same interests. Music opens many doors including marching band, rock bands, jazz bands, plays, concerts, and competitions.