There are many benefits of playing the piano throughout someone's life. The most obvious being the great fun and memories made by being able to play at parties and gigs.
The very act of practicing the piano creates a combination of mental enrichment and relaxation that feeds your brain with positive stimulation for good mental health.
Playing the piano can make children more successful throughout their lives in many different ways. Here are a few points to ponder.
1. Reading Music
Learning to read piano music gives you a huge boost when participating in band, orchestra or choir.
The foundational skills of piano playing can quickly transfer to other instruments and settings. Being able to read reduces the stress of learning by focusing only on the techniques needed to play the instrument.
Additionally, the ability to play vocal lines on the piano allows student vocalists to quickly and easily learn new music.
2. An Ear for Pitch
Playing an in-tune piano develops your ear for pitch and the ability to clearly identify intonation issues - which is especially useful when learning a new instrument and playing in a band or orchestra.
It can be stressful to be told that you are sharp or flat when you cannot recognize or fix it. The ability to recognize an A-440 and flawed intonation will give you many skills for tuning and performing.
3. Developing Rhythm
As a rhythmic instrument, playing the piano develops skills and steady timekeeping which translates especially well to percussion instruments. Consistent piano practice with a metronome helps you quickly recognize the speed of common tempos such as andante, allegro and presto.
4. Chord Structure
Because of the layout of the keyboard, the piano offers a unique opportunity to visualize chords. This gives you an understanding of chord structure that will be valuable for coming up with vocal harmonies and learning the guitar or other instruments. For students who tend to learn visually, this can provide a huge advantage.
5. Developing Self-Worth
Learning to play a piece of piano music provides a strong sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Setting learning or performance goals and accomplishing them is meaningful to any student.
Success in the piano studio leads to confidence when tackling any goals or educational lessons - such as math homework, tests and essays. The ability to break a goal into multiple tasks and small steps towards success is valuable for many different aspects of life.
6. Poise, Confidence, and Relaxation
Performing in front of an audience develops confidence and poise. This prepares you for public speaking and presentations that you may encounter throughout high school, college and your career.
It can be frightening to walk in front of an audience and be the focus of their attention. Practice and comfort with performance builds skills that will create comfort in front of crowds for a lifetime.
Playing the piano can be a very relaxing pursuit as well. Unlike wind instruments that can emit sour notes or string instruments that screech, the piano often still sounds beautifully melodic - even when just beginning to learn the instrument. Learning to play the piano develops foundational musical skills, confidence and poise while also giving you a sense of accomplishment, mental enrichment and relaxation to enhance the successful life goals you wish to accomplish.