Dalton Schreiner

Connie Douglas
UWRT 1101
9/8/14
The Belief in Instruments for Youth
Why is it that people these days feel overworked, stressed, and cannot seem to
remember much? Because those people who are struggling probably have no idea on how to
play a musical instrument. I believe that everyone should learn to play some sort of musical
instrument before they hit middle school years. I hold this belief because I learned an
instrument at a young age. I started playing piano when I was five years old and played until I
was ten. While doing so I saw that a lot of my grades improved. I remembered a lot of little
things more and I tremendously improved my hand-eye coordination. Once I started getting
into the rhythm, I didnt even have to look at my hands anymore of where I was moving them
on the piano. After playing piano for five years, I switched to playing guitar and have not put
the guitar down. Playing the guitar has taught me discipline. I have spent countless hours just
practicing over and over, sometimes the same exact chords, just to build up calluses on my
fingers. In life, everyone needs these skills. If someone learned an instrument at a young age, I
believe that they will improve their hand-eye coordination, improve their memory and increase
how much they can remember, relieve their stress, and help to teach self-discipline to them.
Learning an instrument like the piano can drastically improve hand-eye coordination.
The piano requires the use of both hands while looking at a sheet of music. If someone is
playing a song and he or she have to look down at their hands, he or she have a chance to

forget where they are in the song and have a mistake. As said by Michael Matthews, By
reading musical notes on a page, your brain subconsciously must convert that note into specific
motor patterns while also adding breathing and rhythm to the mix (Matthews, 2011). While
playing, your hands are not doing the exact thing as the other, two separate things will be going
on with each hand. Many other instruments require the use of both hands and odds are, they
both will not be doing the same thing at the same time. While acquiring improved hand-eye
coordination, it can be used in the real world by not having to look and think of what your
hands are doing. Hand-eye coordination also corresponds with reflexes. For example, if you
are supposed to hit a button every time you see a flash, you will be more likely to hit the button
faster than someone who has no hand-eye coordination at all.
You also, as I mentioned earlier, cannot look at your hands while reading music or you
have the risk of messing up even more. While looking at the music and playing the notes of
where you think they are, you develop muscle memory. Muscle memory is a type of
movement with which the muscles become familiar over time (Wisegeek.com). While playing
guitar, you need to know where to slide your hand to make sure you press the right string.
Muscle memory kicks in and you soon do not even have to think about where to move your
hand, your brain already knows where it needs to go. While playing an instrument, your mind
becomes more alert to situations. By becoming more alert to situations, you help sharpen your
memory.
Music is one of the easiest ways to remove stress. Even though it may be a little
stressful when first starting off to learn, in the end it will pay off. While playing an instrument,
you have all the will to create whatever your heart desires. Amy Tan talks about how creativity

and how it can be a function of some neurological quirks that help to bring out ideas
(Ted.com). Playing any instrument can help release the endorphins in your body which will
reduce stress levels (wxrt.cbslocal.com, 2013). Having the freedom to play what you want
right at your fingertips, emotion can change and the feeling of having complete control takes
away any stress left in a persons body. Music is an art, so like an artist paints a masterpiece, a
musician plays with emotion (Matthews, 2011). Many people have proven through
experiments that music is an excellent form of therapy and it is being used today to help treat
people who have depression and other disorders. In the movie, The Book of Eli, music plays a
role in the form of an iPod that Eli carries. The music helps him to escape the apocalyptic world
around him, even though he cannot see. With the music playing, he becomes less stressed and
forgets about everything.
Being able to do anything well take time and practice. Playing an instrument falls into
that category and while someone is playing, he or she creates self-discipline for themselves.
Playing an instrument is great, but no one just picks up an instrument and becomes a master at
it. To really be able to play an instrument and to be satisfied with what you know, you have to
practice. From personal experience of practicing for hours on my guitar just so I could build up
calluses on my fingers has gotten me to where I am today. All the pain of holding down strings
and all the pain of not being able to play that much since I was just starting out is worth it. I
have developed my sense of self-discipline and I have become a better guitarist.
I believe that being able to play an instrument at a young age can easily improve all of
the things mentioned above. From being one of the people who learned how to play an
instrument at a young age, my hand-eye coordination has improved, I can remember more

than other people, I have taught myself self-discipline, and most importantly to me, I have an
easier time to relieve my stress. Parents should start getting their kids to learn a musical
instrument before they hit middle school to help with all of the things that school brings upon
kids. It isnt too late to learn an instrument to help improve all of these topics covered.
Learning an instrument helps in so many ways. This I believe to be true and as Randy Pausch
said in The Last Lecture, You can always change your plan, but only if you have one. Everyone
has a plan for their child and for themselves. By changing it and adding one new thing into your
plan can start a whole new sense of relief in your life.

Works Cited

"What is Muscle Memory?." Wisegeek. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2014. <http://www.wisegeek.org/whatis-muscle-memory.htm>.
Amy Tan: Where does creativity hide? Dir. Ted.com. Feb. 2008. Ted.com. Web. 8 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_tan_on_creativity#t-119686>.
Davis, Lauren. " 10 Good Reasons To Learn A Musical Instrument (Its Not Too Late!)."wxrt. N.p., 5
Nov. 2013. Web. 31 Aug. 2014. <http://wxrt.cbslocal.com/2013/11/05/10-good-reasons-to-learn-amusical-instrument-its-not-too-late/>.
Matthews, Michael. "18 Benefits of Playing a Musical Instrument." Web. 31 Aug. 2014.
<http://www.effectivemusicteaching.com/articles/directors/18-benefits-of-playing-a-musicalinstrument/>.
Pausch, Randy. "The Last Lecture." Good Reads. n.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2014.
<https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3364076-the-last-lecture>.
The Book Of Eli. Dir. Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes. Warner Bros., 2010. DVD