This week local training band member Alison Ashley told the Junee Southern Cross she was glad her mother pushed her to practice piano and always regretted not sticking with it for longer.
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Her mother Ros Ashley was equally pleased to be encouraged by musical parents.
It’s a common sentiment express by musical folks.
Most of us, in early childhood, don’t have the focus, work ethic and general intestinal fortitude to regularly practice playing an instrument under our own steam.
It should be up to parents to step in, and without forcing the issue, gently encourage their kids to practice every day, just long enough for the child to witness their own improvement and grow hungry for a further taste of sweet success.
But parents can’t do everything, which is why music should be taught compulsorily in primary schools everywhere.
Not just a half-hearted blow of the recorder in early primary school, but proper, thorough musical education throughout all primary schools.
Playing music is a wildly beneficial brain training exercise.
There's little doubt in the scientific community that learning to play an instrument is greatly beneficial for developing young brains.
Science has shown that when young people learn to play music, their brains start to process sounds that they couldn't previously hear.
This "neurophysiological distinction" between certain sounds tends to aid in literacy, which can translate into improved academic results for kids.
It’s a phenomenon which has been researched all over the world, with US-based Northwestern University, Concordia University and the annual Neuroscience conference in San Diego among the many researchers of the topic.
Playing an instrument is also a fantastic activity which provides young people in small towns a viable alternative to the dominant sporting landscape.
It’s the ideal way to show children that hard works and persistence brings immensely satisfying results.
Music may not be for everyone, but neither is maths, English or woodwork. We should at least give each child the chance to find out, and discover a joy they may never have unearthed otherwise.