As students reach high school and classes get more challenging, many teens tend to quit the instruments they once played.
While young children are often encouraged to play music, this emphasis does not last throughout their high school years. Both in and out of upper schools, instrumental fluency for teens is continuously overlooked despite countless positive impacts on cognitive development, academic performance, and mental health. I strongly believe we should prioritize the playing of musical instruments for teenagers. Learning an instrument requires a lot more than just pressing a few keys or strings. Reading notes, memorizing melodies, and figuring out rhythms: all of these active skills develop our cognitive abilities.
A study within the book A Journal on Normal and Dysfunctional Development by psychologist and researcher Ryan Gray found that, “Musicians outperformed non-musicians in various cognitive domains, including global cognition, learning and memory, working memory, executive function, language, and visuospatial abilities.” To read music, one must first comprehend complex musical notation and then translate this notation into sequential, rhythmic motor activity over long periods of time. According to the National Library of Medicine, this process has been found to develop fine motor skills, as well as improve memory and attention span. Linguistically, a musician’s enhanced sensitivity to pitch and rhythm enables improved capabilities when learning a second language or achieving fluency in communication with others. The amplified cognitive abilities that musicians pick up over years of dedication have profound impacts. Improved concentration, better memory work, and strong language skills lead to high test scores, a better grasp of new material, and an overall stronger academic performance.
Furthermore, a study by the National Library of Medicine found that musicians tend to have higher average IQs than those who do not play an instrument. The combination of these benefits sets youth up for success, from kindergarten to their future career. Rather than thinking of playing an instrument as nothing more than a fun pastime, we need to recognize that, in reality, playing music is a brain exercise with unique long-term benefits.
Middle and Upper School Performing Arts Teacher Eric Lifland stated, “What really keeps me enjoying the piano after 25 years of playing is the infinite ways there are to grow and challenge yourself: to improve your musicianship and inner hearing, to expand your coordination and technique, to widen your imagination of musical possibilities, to broaden your horizons to new genres of music, to free yourself up to improvise creatively, and so much more. Developing a high level of skill at any instrument develops broad skills as well: your discipline, coordination, focus, memory, and confidence all improve by studying music.”
Beyond improved cognitive and academic skills, playing an instrument has a positive effect on an individual’s mental health. Music and emotions are deeply intertwined; simply listening to a piece can affect your state of mind, uplifting your spirits, calming you, or even helping you release sadness or anger. Playing music goes a step further, acting as a therapeutic outlet that allows the musician to express their emotions. This emotional release can allow an individual, especially a teen, to process emotions and relieve stress. According to the Community Music Center of Boston, playing music creates a meditative state that releases dopamine and improves mood. Specifically, practice sessions can provide a comforting, safe, and quiet space for youth.
Sophomore Desmond Cassidy, a guitarist, when asked about how playing instruments benefited his mental health, responded, “I think that when I’m playing music, it clears my mind because you can really only focus on what you’re doing in that moment. It grounds you and silences outside distractions.” Playing an instrument also helps teens overcome performance anxiety and build confidence. Whether it’s a recital, a casual performance for a family member, or a serious competition, performing music for an audience means stepping out of your comfort zone and persevering through mental challenges. Over time, this act becomes easier and more natural as children learn how to manage their personal insecurities and anxiety. For example, Desmond explained, “I’ve definitely felt an improvement in confidence from my first performance in 6th grade to performing in the jazz band playing guitar and having to improvise a solo in front of a lot of people.”
While every performance may not go perfectly, consistency and resilience will ultimately support self-efficacy and manage the body’s stress response. Furthermore, knowing how to play an instrument opens up opportunities for musicians to find friends within the community. Countless possibilities are available, such as a jazz band, an orchestra, a duet with a friend, and much more.
When asked about how music is useful for youth connectivity and mental health, Lifland responded, “It is even more joyful if you also explore music with others. For students who suffer from performance anxiety, joining a group and performing with others is the best way to develop confidence and joy as a performer.” Not only does learning an instrument support independent progress and achievement of goals, but it also provides young musicians with support and collaboration from others in the performing arts community.
This multitude of benefits defines why it is crucial for us, as a society, to emphasize music for our youth. If more teens are encouraged to stick with their instruments, we can shape a generation of young adults who are not only talented but also confident, sharp, and self-aware. Instead of thinking of music as a simple hobby, high schools and parents must put an emphasis on promoting instrumental programs for their teens.
Fluency in a musical instrument will have positive long-term benefits on their cognitive skills and mental health in ways that few other opportunities can replicate.