The importance of music cannot be stressed enough. Whether is is a calming tune after a busy day at work or the anthem to a cultural revolution, music and the notes it can carry have the power to shape moods and minds. The wide variety of genres and the ability for creative minds to bend those genres ensures that there is more than a couple of songs for everyone to love, but that is not all there is to music. Learning musical instruments or being able to read notes can be skills that can translate well into career paths or simply helping in changing the way you think.
Early exposure to musical instruments, like say in middle school, helps children open up their minds to a realm of possibilities. When picking up an instrument, kids typically spend time learning how to play that instrument and that instrument only, but the ability to read scales and count transitions to other instruments as well, and hearing it all come together in concerts is nothing short of beautiful. There is something bewitching in how every instrument group in a concert has different notes they play, but when played together it presents a coherent and magical sound. This of course, can be attributed to the lessons of teamwork that are instrumental in the teachings of musical instruments and bands. Flowing in and out of a concert, shining whilst giving other instrument groups opportunities to shine, and presenting a united front are incredibly difficult skills to teach, but if done right learning how to play a musical instrument can present a strong sense of teamwork and coordination that is difficult to find anywhere else, especially in younger age groups.
Perhaps the greatest lesson in music lies in the varying perspectives it has. Learning how to play one instrument may lead to interests in others, and learning about other instruments erodes the stringent division of musical seating that is present in the layout of concerts, allowing for true lover of music to hear the different notes played by different instruments at the same time. Bold trumpets can discern the sounds of soft-spoken flutes and complement them, and in turn those in the audience can hear a beautiful song not overshadowed by a single instrument group. Learning about musical instruments teaches children to listen and react accordingly, a skill that proves to be valuable day after day.
Beyond the lessons in the blank spaces, learning a musical instrument can just be fun. It gives students a period to express themselves and learn a potential new hobby and gets them out of sitting in their assigned seats doing worksheets all day. Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District in Texas is seeking bids for music instruments for Wayside Middle School. We know how antsy middle schoolers can be, and giving them more tools to safely express themselves while learning something new is an opportunity every school should look to present. If interested in this opportunity, click on the link to learn more. The bid closes February 28, 2025 at 2:00 PM CDT.