The Importance of Learning an Instrument
By David Smith
"Music is about communication, creativity, and cooperation, and, by studying music in school, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their lives, and experience the world from a new perspective." - Bill Clinton, former President, United States of America
Whether you agreed with the former President’s politics or not, he obviously gave grave importance to learning music in schools. At ISZL, Music and the learning of a musical instrument is considered of great importance to our students. The class music programme is supported by an extensive instrumental programme which provides tuition for Grades 4-8 on the Zug Campus. At present, a rich variety of instruments is offered to these students: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Guitar and Voice. More than 500 children have group lessons per week and the school believes fully in the ideal that learning an instrument is not only and important part of a school’s curriculum but that it also enhances a child’s life, helping them become a lifelong lover of Music and the Arts.
Learning an instrument has been proved to be beneficial not only for a child’s musical ability but that the skills learned transfer into other areas of the curriculum. A main aim for the ISZL instrumental teachers is not necessarily to create great musicians or professional performers, but also to enable students to develop a wide range of perceptual, affective, intellectual and personal skills and qualities.
There is growing evidence of the benefits of learning an instrument. In the endnote to her research paper, “The power of music: its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people” Susan Hallam, of the Institute of Education at the University of London wrote:
“In early childhood there seem to be benefits for the development of perceptual skills which effect learning language subsequently impacting on literacy which is also enhanced by opportunities to develop rhythmic co-ordination. Fine motor co-ordination is improved through learning to play an instrument. Music also seems to improve spatial reasoning, one aspect of general intelligence which is related to some of the skills required in mathematics.”
She continues,” Engagement with music can enhance self-perceptions but only if it provides positive learning experiences which are rewarding. This means that musical experiences need to be enjoyable providing challenges which are also attainable. Teaching needs to generate an environment which is supportive and sufficiently flexible to facilitate the development of creativity and self-expression. Group music making is also beneficial to the development of social skills and can contribute to health and well-being throughout the lifespan and can therefore contribute to community cohesion providing benefits to society as a whole.”
There are other substantial benefits and lifelong skills that can be gained and attitudes that can be affected by children learning an instrument. An interesting survey of schools in Cambridgeshire, U.K. where instrumental programmes were in place, cited many additional benefits for students and schools including:
Cultural understanding and social development by pupils were positively affected
A more positive attitude to learning and improved motivation in other subjects
Team working skills improved and, in some cases, music provided a calming experience
Pupils’ concentration improved
Music had an empowering effect on some of the participating children
When reading the results of such studies, it reinforces my belief that what we have in place at ISZL goes beyond just ‘playing an instrument’.
Playing and performing are vital elements of learning an instrument and although almost all students at ISZL learn in instruments groups, our after school ensembles play an important role in enhancing the students’ ability to perform and to demonstrate their skills and their enjoyment of playing. The ISZL Choir is well established and the String Orchestra and Wind Band are constantly gaining in number of participants and the standard of performances have improved hugely in the past 3 years. Recently, we have added a Guitar Band to the after school clubs which I am sure will continue to grow and flourish for the foreseeable future.
Children playing and performing in such ensembles gain so much. Not only the joy and fun of playing or singing together with their peers and friends but also learning important skills such as following direction from a conductor, listening to others’ playing, trusting and respecting others and developing the skills of negotiation and compromise. Attending weekend retreats in Wengen have been a wonderful experience for our string and wind students as well as our teachers. Two days of intensive rehearsals in such beautiful surroundings have only helped to gel the ensembles into supportive, close-knit teams where the aim of making and experiencing the joy of music is at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
There seems no doubt that ISZL is providing an arena where students have access to instrumental activities that are rewarding, challenging and attainable and we are all fortunate that learning an instrument is considered such an integral part of the ISZL’s curriculum.