1. Discipline
A well known medieval French adage goes – Rome ne fu[t] pas faite toute en un jour which means “Rome wasn’t built in a day”.
The day a child understands the wisdom of the above statement is the day his journey to greatness begins. Initially, playing an instrument is the exact opposite of instant gratification. In many cases, they will be practicing for days or even for months until they see and hear the fruits of their labor. Music lessons help children to develop patience and better discipline. Practicing and striving for perfection inculcates discipline and teaches them a valuable lesson that achieving anything worthwhile in life will take patience, focus and a consistent involvement from them – a lesson which will reflect in all spheres of their endeavor.
2. Confidence
When a child perseveres to learn a musical composition or is preparing for a stage performance, his/her mind goes through a series of vicissitudes and emotions ranging from determination, hope, planning, repeated failure, focused effort, delayed gratification (eg. postpone the camping trip since I have a stage performance in two weeks) and so on and when at the end of it he/she experiences success in the form of a successful stage performance or even mastery over a musical composition it results in a boost of confidence which is unparalleled and is evident in their very demeanor.
Also, playing music has been found to increase the volume and activity in the brain’s corpus callosum, the bridge between the two hemispheres, allowing messages to get across the brain faster and through more diverse routes. This may allow children to solve problems more effectively and creatively, in both academic and social settings. What results is a boost in confidence when a child finds himself effective and successful in other spheres of activity as well.
3. Superior Oratory skills
The study and performance of Tabla involves learning the language of Tabla eg. The phrase “Dha Traka Dhe Tete Katha Gadi Gena” corresponds to a precise sequence of syllables which translates to a precise sequence of strokes with fingers on both the hands. Often times you would have seen performers reciting the Tabla compositions during their solo performances. This is the result of a deliberate and consistent training to recite compositions before playing them. These compositions are intricately timed and involve the development of oratory skills which are not only complicated in terms of phonetics but also in terms of the timing of their delivery. The focused effort and training results in superior oratory skills to students and in turn boosts their ability to confidently speak and present in front of audiences.
4. A stress buster akin to meditation
“Playing an instrument can act as a meditation in that it can take you away from the day to day and let you focus on the simple movements.” —Jennifer Schwartz, vice president of digital product at Fender.
Studies have shown that music can help develop and keep calm, it has been proven to lower the heart rate and blood pressure, which in turn lowers the stress hormone cortisol, thus making us feel relaxed. Kids and Teenagers with their academic pressures very often get caught up with stress and with their packed schedules music practice promises an effective solution right at home.
5. An awesome workout for your brain!
Just like physical exercise rejuvenates the body, playing Tabla or any musical instrument rejuvenates the brain. Extensive scientific studies have shown this and the findings are well documented. Please review our blog article titled ‘How playing Tabla benefits your brain!’ which provides a deeper discussion on this topic.
