Ilona Beck
Vancouver, BC Canada

Making Music, Making Friends

 

Benefits of Group Music Lessons

Music and friendship are a powerful combination. Growing with musical friends can be one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of a child's life.

Practising can be a lonely activity for a child. Playing with others can give a child a new enthusiasm for practice, and often, a reason to practice. Musical friends are more likely to practise because they see themselves as part of a group, growing together through music. They don't want to let their friends down. Nor do they want to lag behind! They develop a sense of being part of a team and making a team effort.

As well as the social influence and the fun of playing together, children learn and refine a host of musical skills necessary to play in a group: sight reading; ear training, hearing the relationships between different parts and instruments; tuning and pitch; timing and counting; harmony; and appreciation of a wider range of musical styles.

Playing in a group creates a synergy of magnified joy and heightened awareness in the shared musical experience. It is thrilling to experience that magical moment of making music together. It's a feeling that gives children a lasting sense of the wonder of music, and through that, of life.