When it comes to preparing children for the future, it is clear that we don't know what skills the workplace will demand a few decades from now. Especially after the pandemic hit, and we keep switching between in-person and online schooling for children, uncertainty is a way of life.
What is certain, however, is that hands-on life skills will always be appreciated. Hard skills may become automated, but what will never change is the fact that we need well-rounded and empathetic people taking charge in an increasingly globalised world.
And that is where music plays a crucial role. Here are some parallel skills that develop as a result of integrating music into children's daily lives:
1 - Time management: Learning any form of music is an exercise in planning, practising, working on deadlines, and being aware of how much time is spent on stage.
2 - Consistency: Like many other things, it takes years of work, patience, and the willingness to stick it out to make something great. Sometimes, practice sessions can be frustrating because it takes multiple repetitions of the same note until you get it right. But, at the end of the day, consistency brings long-term success. This is true for music, and true for life as well. And it is a lesson that we should teach as early as we can.
3 - Collaboration and teamwork: When we set group musical activities, we send the message that many hands must work together to fulfil a larger goal. Similarly, when children form bands and ensembles while practising regularly, they also learn to work with each other's strengths and work around each other's limitations.
4 - Self-starting: A lot of the qualities we see in successful entrepreneurs can be developed via music - like discipline, listening skills, overcoming failure, experimentation, and collaboration.
5 - Decision-making: With music, you are often forced to think on your feet and make split-second decisions. Technical errors, issues at the performance venue, on-stage mistakes - these are a practical way to learn how to make the most of a situation - with no preparation time. And this is a skill to develop for day-to-day life, too. In any field, you will have to deal with unexpected situations sometimes. And it is a great thing to teach children to remain on their toes while remaining calm.
The most important thing to keep in mind while introducing children to music: there are many different musical paths to take, outside of performing on stage. Songwriting, music production, sound engineering, and many other fields have the same impact on children's overall well-being and development.
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