Learn to play the guitar, quickly and effectively.
Ask not what you can do for music but what music can do for you. The desire to play music is easily understood, but learning to play benefits us in other ways as well, and in so doing, helps us become more social and successful.
Music has been with us all our lives. Music helps define us, from nursery rhymes that entertained and educated, to anthems that give a sense of national Identity (Duran, 2007). Every human culture uses music to carry forward its ideas and ideals; therefore an understanding of music is an understanding of one of the basic fabrics of our society. Doing well in society depends on how you can connect with others. Music is a way for people to connect with themselves, and it is also a bridge for connecting with others. Through music, we experience the richness and diversity of the human family. As Ted Turner points out “there are many forces in this world driving wedges between people, so it is important to encourage those things that help us experience our common humanity”.
Communication and cognitive skills, learned through the discipline of music, transfer well to social skills.Studying music teaches self-discipline and diligence, traits that carry over into intellectual pursuits and leads to effective study and work habits. A musician learns to multi task. Decisions need to be constantly made regarding tempo, tone, style, rhythm, phrasing, and feeling.This trains the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. Acquiring this ability enhances attention skills and intelligence; it also increases self-knowledge and expression (National Association for Music Education, 2002). It is no coincidence that very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry are, nearly without exception, practicing musicians.
John Durant tells us “Music helps each one of us find our unique social niche, bringing us together with other folks that share similar interests. It documents the history of social and cultural changes in society, and is always in a state of perpetual evolution, combining new ideas with older ones to create a sound that's unique to each generation” (Duran, 2007). Familiar songs help us recall special moments in our lives, such as our first love, or maybe our first kiss.
I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music. It seems to infuse strength into my limbs and ideas into my brain. Life seems to go on without effort, when I am filled with music. George Eliot (1819 - 1880).
