How Music Lessons Support Sports Activities: what's the link?
Growing up in a busy household of five children, I still don't know how my mother managed to taxi me from sports ground to music lessons but I do know that she did...and that she was there with me for most of these activities.This one factor...that my mother was there...had a great impact on my young life. It made me believe that these activities were an important part of our family life. Parenting in the modern world of endless extra-curricular activities every night of the week makes being with our children more challenging, but if I could choose just two after school activities that merit our presence they would be sport and music.I believe that the two programs run side by side support each other in ways which that at first glance may not be obvious.Clearly the benefits of joining a sports team include team work, listening to instruction, performing specific actions in order to pass an object from person to person and ultimately into the goal. Breathing good clean air, running and jumping, getting fit and enjoying the process helps young children develop self esteem and well being. These benefits can be supplemented by music lessons.
At music lessons, the fine motor skills are developed. Nerve pathways required to complete complex tasks later in life are laid down at an early age. Playing music with both hands engages both sides of the brain at once. This creates an awareness of space in movement which supports the catching of a netball or football. The discipline of learning an instrument enables students to plan to perform. During the week in between sports matches, the music student is busily practising their piano or other instrument. Without even knowing it, they are running through repetitive actions in their brain. This assists in developing memory, paying attention and focusing just like they are asked to when perform a specific role on the sports field.What was your experience growing up with music and sports?
