Should you learn an instrument?

Beginner harpist and editor at large Dr Liz Stafford explores why this might be beneficial for teachers

One of the phrases that I hear most when working with primary non-specialist teachers is ‘I can’t teach music because I can’t even play an instrument.’

I always take great pains to set the record straight immediately; teaching classroom music has very little to do with playing an orchestral instrument or the piano! Arguably if you’re a percussionist you might have a slight advantage working with tuned and untuned percussion with your classes, but mad skills on the violin do not automatically translate into amazing curriculum music lessons!

Of course, what the use of this phrase really means is that teachers feel ‘unmusical’ and, like almost everyone else in the world, have equated the act of having instrumental lessons with the state of ‘being musical.’ We spend a lot of time in the UK trying to explain to our politicians, schools, and the wider public that there is more to music education than taking graded exams on the trumpet!

If you feel that learning to play an instrument will make you more confident about teaching music, then by all means do it! Sharing your overall aim with your instrumental teacher will (hopefully!) mean that they can work in some general musicianship along the way to help you feel more comfortable in your music teaching role.

If you are already a confident musician, you may still benefit from taking up a new instrument. I have been learning the harp for around a year now, and have found it a great way to reconnect with what it feels like to be a beginner musician. I definitely take for granted how easy it is for me to just pick up an unfamiliar piece and sing it or play it on the piano, or (and I’m showing off here I know) both at the same time! This experience has definitely made subtle changes to how I approach the teaching of instruments in the classroom, for the benefit of all my pupils.

There are other benefits to taking up a musical instrument later in life too. It’s thought that practising a new skill can help prevent cognitive decline, and as someone with more of a penchant for music than maths, I’d definitely rather be playing an instrument than doing sudoku!

In her open access course ‘The Science of Wellbeing’ Dr Laurie Santos of Yale University considers all of the different things that make us happy. Amongst aspects such as spending time with friends and family, showing gratitude, and adopting healthy habits, are other less well-known but equally powerful mood boosters.

Dr Santos argues that we need to be ‘challenged’ in our everyday lives. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that we want people to start fights with us! Rather, it means that we are happier when engaged in activities that make us think, and stretch our skill set, leading to a sense of accomplishment. Whether you’re an adult or a child, learning a musical instrument will do just that. The old adage ‘practise makes perfect’ could perhaps be adapted to ‘practise makes happy,’ as we overcome any difficulties to slowly master our chosen instrument.

Another strategy for improving wellbeing is to take part in regular ‘flow’ activities. This is where you become absorbed in a task (often a creative task) to the point where the outside world almost ceases to exist. In recent years activities such as adult colouring have become popular as they encourage this flow state, but of course playing a musical instrument is also a flow activity. In fact, you might argue that playing music is the ultimate flow activity, since it involves your eyes, ears, and most other parts of your body too!

Once you gain some mastery of your chosen instrument, it can be a tool for meeting new people and starting new friendships, through joining an ensemble such as a band or orchestra. When you are able to, making music with friends is one of life’s greatest pleasures - even football fans know this when they sing on the terraces! Being part of an ensemble also provides an extra level of challenge as you have to fit in with the music going on around you, taking you right back to that idea of ‘practise makes happy!’

Teachers often neglect their own mental health and worklife balance, so you could do yourself some good by picking up an instrument, whilst calling it ‘professional development’ so that you don’t feel like you are ‘wasting’ time!

Give it a go and see what benefits it can bring!