It may be true that participating in a musical group can help your child learn important lessons about group participation, but the same could be said for pretty much any collaborative effort such as team sports or drama club. Band, choir, and orchestra have so much more to offer than just another extracurricular activity on your child's transcript. Even if you don't want your child to become a professional musician of any kind, there are many benefits to allowing him or her to rehearse and perform with a musical group. Here are three of the less commonly cited benefits.
1. Career
Even if your child doesn't grow up to be a musician, there are plenty of other careers that may require a familiarity with musical notation and performance. For example, an early childhood educator's singing voice can be an invaluable tool for teaching young children. A few of the other jobs where musical literacy is required or useful include:
- Music typesetter
- Recording engineer
- Music producer
- Production music writer
- Video game composer
- Sound designer
- Music teacher
- Talent scout
- Music therapist
- Music critic/reviewer
- Web designer for music labels
- Marketing personnel for artists or labels
- Stage manager
- Tour manager
As you can see, the list goes on and on. The performing industry, the record industry, the publishing industry, and the education industry all have hundreds of opportunities for steady jobs where musical proficiency can give your child a leg up.
2. Connections
If your child is truly interested in music, the personal connections he or she makes in band or choir may last a lifetime. It's true that many people fall out of touch with high school friends once they go off to college, but friendships grounded on common passions are some of the strongest ones and therefore are more likely to last (or to be easier to pick up again later after a long separation).
3. Hands-on learning and application
Too many classes in school are simply lectures with worksheets and provide an atmosphere of detachment from real life. If you've ever heard your child complain, "When will I ever use this in real life?" then you can imagine the benefit of hands-on teaching that allows students to both learn musical skills and use them in real life. Although some school music programs focus more on in-school concerts, many give performances at nursing homes and enter statewide or nationwide competitions, allowing students to show off their skills in public.
These are simply three of the less frequently cited benefits of musical training in school. When you put them together with more commonly known benefits, such as IQ and grade boosting, you'll be able to see why it's so important to allow your child to join orchestra or band and even to take music lessons if he or she desires to do so. For more information on your child's education, check out a school like International School of MN.
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