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Hong Kong's faulty education system has produced exam machines, not students. Schools overlook skills like playing musical instruments or creating art. We should push children to learn at least one musical instrument in primary school so that they become well-rounded students. They should develop talents which are - but shouldn't be - overlooked in our city.

Learning to play a musical instrument, for example, the piano, is crucial for primary school students. It gives them early exposure to the arts.

What's more, the learning process is beneficial to a child's brain development. Researchers and psychologists have proved, time after time, that music makes you smarter, happier, and more productive. Although listening to music is good, actively playing musical instruments is even more useful.

Playing a musical instrument helps change the workings of the brain and no doubt improves your cognitive skills. Scans of musicians' brains have shown that music activates the hippocampus - a crucial component of the brain that optimises brain health, and enhances memory and mood.

This gives musicians an academic advantage: but surely, it's also a reason why students who do not currently play any musical instruments should be encouraged to learn.

Learning to play a musical instrument helps shape your personality, which is essential especially for students in junior forms. It teaches them key skills such as how to manage their time, how to be responsible, and how to balance their studies with extracurricular activities.

Finally, playing a musical instrument teaches patience and resilience. When students focus on playing a piece of music, their attention span increases - this is definitely a good thing when trying to pay attention in class or studying for an exam. All primary school students should learn to play at least one musical instrument!

In my primary school days, we would look forward to music lessons which gave us a break from the heavy academic workload. However, the lessons were only enjoyable because students could dabble in everything from singing to playing the recorder. But making it mandatory to learn at least one musical instrument may do more harm than good.

There is no denying the benefits of playing a musical instrument. Yet, if it is forced upon students, it might have a negative impact on them. Most music enthusiasts see playing an instrument as a stress reliever, but for students who are not musically inclined (or lack musical talent), it's just another thing to worry about.

What's more, providing compulsory music lessons to students who have no interest in them - or any kind of arts for that matter - would not help them at all.

Some surveys have shown that, in many cases, musical instruments are left collecting dust in the corner as soon as the lessons end. This defeats the whole purpose of compulsory lessons. Rather than the standardised teaching of musical instruments, schools should invest in a range of extracurricular activities, allowing their students to choose activities they actually enjoy or thrive in.

It's shocking that some parents force their children to learn a musical instrument in the hope that they can enter a prestigious secondary school. Students should choose to learn something because they are interested in it. Otherwise, they won't be motivated and will eventually lose interest in it. This kind of learning brings a lot of negativity into the lives of the younger generation and we don't need that.

Besides, buying a musical instrument costs a lot of money and students from low-income families would not be able to afford it. Their parents might have to borrow money from friends or relatives and it could have a negative impact on many families.

The current situation doesn't need to be changed. Students can try several instruments without feeling the pressure to master one.

Hence, I believe it would be unwise to make it compulsory for primary students learn a musical instrument.

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Face Off: should primary school students learn how to play at least one musical instrument?

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Hong Kong's faulty education system has produced exam machines, not students. Schools overlook skills like playing musical instruments or creating art. We should push children to learn at least one musical instrument in primary school so that they become well-rounded students. They should develop talents which are - but shouldn't be - overlooked in our city.

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" I just want to improve as an actor, and I am also fond of dancing and learning musical instruments."

Mithila Palkar, Actress

However, apart from the many advantages related to learning to play music instruments, there are also some issues related to it.

In this article, the pros and cons of learning an instrument are shown in detail.

1. Learning an instrument can be fun

2. May improve your level of creativity

3. You may be able to earn some money

4. Playing a music instrument may brighten up your mood

5. You can make a professional career out of it

6. Women often like musicians

7. You can join a band

8. Can improve your coordination skills

9. May improve your confidence

10. You can find new friends

11. Some people love the musician lifestyle

12. Improvements in improvisation skills

13. You may be better able to deal with your emotions

14. Plenty of free learning material on the internet

15. You may be able to learn how to deal with being in the spotlight

Many people who learned to play an instrument will consider it to be their most important hobby and some of them cannot even imagine a life without playing music instruments anymore.

Therefore, if you consider learning an instrument right now, chances are that you will really like it and it might become quite an important hobby for you in the long run.

Many musicians are also quite creative. This is due to the fact that they always have to create new songs, adapt to new influences and so on. Since playing an instrument is so rich in variety, chances are that you will never get bored to reinvent yourself and to change your style of making music.

Even recreational musicians can make a decent income from playing an instrument. For instance, if you play on weekends on a regular basis, you can make a few hundred bucks each weak from playing music.

Therefore, playing an instrument can also result in a serious side hustle, which you may even turn into a full-time career over time.

Hence, learning an instrument can also provide you with the opportunity to earn decent money in the long run.

It has been shown in many studies that music can significantly change our moods. For instance, if you had many bad experiences in the past, music may help you overcome mental problems of many sorts.

Thus, you can improve the quality of life of many people by playing an instrument, which may give you motivation to further improve on a continuous basis.

In case you really take it seriously, you can even start a professional music career. Some musicians out there make a fortune by traveling all over the world for playing at concerts or by selling their music albums.

Hence, if you are really talented and are also willing to work quite hard on your music skills, learning an instrument may give you the opportunity to live your dream as a professional musician.

However, also note that the chances of becoming a famous musician are extremely low since there are so many people trying it. Thus, make sure that you have a backup plan in case your musician career fails.

It is not quite clear why, but women are often attracted to musicians and if you really become quite good at your craft, you will definitely have an edge when it comes to getting women.

Thus, if this is one of your main goals or struggles right now, learning an instrument can really improve your chances in this regard.

After you practiced for a while, you may also be able to join a band. While some people love to play in a band, others prefer a solo career and you have to decide for yourself which character type you are and whether you want to become part of a band or not.

Playing in a band has the advantage that you will be able to make many valuable contacts, which could also help you to boost your career as an artist and many people also like the feeling of community that comes along with being part of a band.

Another benefit of learning an instrument is that it might also greatly improve your coordination skills. Since you often have to use multiple parts of your body and your muscles at the same time, playing music is a great way to improve our coordination.

Due to all those things, playing an instrument can greatly improve your overall coordination skills and may also keep you flexible in your brain since you will always have to adapt and learn new concepts.

Learning an instrument may also greatly improve your overall confidence. Especially if you play in a band and play at many concerts, chances are that you will experience plenty of admiration from your fans. Quite often, musicians are surrounded by groupies and other fans and this feeling of confirmation may give you a great boost in confidence.

Therefore, especially if you currently suffer from quite low confidence, learning an instrument may give you the opportunity to get out of your misery and to vastly improve your overall quality of life.

Moreover, after your concerts, there will often be parties and you will get to know many new people over time. Some of those people may become really good friends in the long run.

Thus, especially if you want to socialize, chances are that playing an instrument can also significantly help you in this regard.

While many people give up quite early since they recognize that learning an instrument is not for them, others are literally borne with a natural talent and strive to get better every day. In fact, some people really love learning to play an instrument.

Moreover, many people not only love the learning process, they also love the lifestyle of being a musician. In fact, being a musician can be quite exciting. If you are good enough, you may be able to travel the world and to make good money from your musician career.

Moreover, many people also love the legendary parties and the overall high level of freedom which is implied by such a life.

Therefore, if you are one of those people who really love the musician lifestyle, there might be nothing better for you to do out there and you may want to give it a try.

Another upside of playing an instrument is that you can also greatly improve your improvisation skills over time. Many times, especially at concerts, bands get out of their comfort zones and improvise quite a lot to get a certain individual flavor in each concert.

Therefore, even though your improvisation skills might be quite poor right now, you will sooner realize that those skills will improve quite a lot if you play in front of a big audience.

Some people also use music to self-medicate themselves. Especially if you currently suffer from mental problems, you may want to learn an instrument and write some songs. Many musicians try to process bad things from their past in their songs, which may bring them great mental relief.

Therefore, you may also want to learn an instrument in order to be better able to deal with your past. However, note that music is not a magic pill to solve your problems and that you may need additional support from a psychologist in case you suffer from serious mental illness.

The internet is a real blessing when it comes to learning new things. There are so many good instructions out there, including videos that show you step-by-step how to become better in several areas of your daily life. Hence, if you want to learn an instrument, it is quite easy nowadays since you can just look up everything you need to know on the internet.

While this might take some time, you may be able to improve really fast with these instructions and it might in fact be the easiest time in the history of mankind to learn an instrument right now.

While some people love the spotlight and the attention, others may be rather frightened and do not like to be in the spotlight at all. However, becoming confident in performing in front of a crowd of people is often quite important for various parts of our lives.

Especially if you aspire to a leading role in the corporate world, you urgently have to learn this skill since you will be in the spotlight quite often and also have to deal with plenty of negative feedback.

Therefore, learning an instrument may also help you in this regard since you may be exposed to larger audiences and will learn how to deal with it over time.

Although there are many advantages related to playing an instrument, there are also some issues related to it. One problem of learning to play an instrument is that it can be quite time-consuming. You will have to put in plenty of work in order to learn and to become better. Especially at the beginning, this can be quite exhausting since it will take you a while until you see real progress.

Over time, especially if you aspire to a professional music career, you will have to spend significant fractions of your day playing music and this might conflict with your corporate career in the long run.

At one point in time, you will likely have to decide whether you want to become a professional musician or stay in the corporate world and only play music on a recreational basis.

If you really aspire to a professional music career, you might also need a professional teacher who can help you improve your skills in order to get to the next level. Sure, there is plenty of information out there on the internet and you can learn many things by yourself.

However, if you really want to make progress in a reasonable timeframe, chances are that you might be better off by getting a music teacher. Yet, those teachers can be quite expensive since they have to be paid on an hourly basis.

Thus, if you really aspire to a professional music career, make sure that you have a certain budget for it and that you will have to invest some money before you see any returns.

Apart from the costs of a music teacher, there are also some other additional costs related to learning an instrument. For instance, you have to buy your instrument in the first place. Depending on the instrument, the prices can be quite high.

For example, for a piano, you can spend many thousands of dollars to get a decent one. Moreover, you will also have to travel to concerts, which also implies that you have to sleep somewhere and hotel rooms are usually not cheap either.

Hence, there are serious costs related to learning an instrument and being a serious musician and you should take this fact into account when it comes to the decision whether you want to learn an instrument in a professional manner or not.

Musicians are also known for living a rather unhealthy lifestyle. In fact, many former musicians state in interviews that the consumed plenty of alcohol and drugs during their careers.

This lifestyle can lead to serious health problems in the long run and in case you are not a stable personality, you may suffer from serious health issues due to your musician career.

Playing an instrument may also cause some organizational issues. Especially if you want to earn money with it, you will have to be quite flexible regarding your performances.

Those performances and gigs may also interfere with your corporate job and over time, those organizational issues may become quite exhausting.

In case you learn an instrument since you want to pursue a professional music career, you should also realize that being a musician can be quite stressful. Although many musicians love the feeling to be on stage, it can be quite hard to tour around and to have multiple concerts within a single week. Thus, be prepared to deal with significant stress if you really want to go hard for it.

Many people also do not find their favorite instrument right at the beginning of their music career. In fact, many people who initially learned to play a certain instrument switch to other instruments over time since they like it more.

Therefore, be prepared that you might not know which instrument is right for you at the start and that you have to try several different instruments in order to figure out the one you like most.

However, this can be quite exhausting, time-consuming and also expensive since you may have to buy multiple instruments over time.

Especially at the beginning of your music career, chances are that you will also only earn low amounts of money. Nobody knows you yet and therefore, also the salaries that will be paid to you may be rather low.

However, keep in mind that this can change over time and you should not lose your motivation if you only earn a few bucks at the beginning of your career.

Also keep in mind that all big artists initially started out with those low salaries and made their way up over time.

Another problem of learning an instrument and being a musician is that you may also suffer from serious mental problems. Many people are not made for dealing with all the pressure that comes along with a professional music career and if you are one of those people who are not able to deal with pressure, this sort of professional career might not be for you.

Since it takes quite a while to learn an instrument, many people may also become quite frustrated over time. Especially if you don't have too much natural talent, it may be quite exhausting since you may feel like you do not make any progress at all.

Since learning an instrument is not easy at the beginning, many people also give up after a rather short period of time. Therefore, if you don't have the ambition to really be serious about playing an instrument, you might also give up way to early.

If you really want to become a renowned artist, you will need a certain level of talent. Sure, hard work is a key factor for success. However, if you don't have a certain level of talent, chances are that people who have this talent and work as hard as you do will sooner or later become better than you.

Thus, if you don't have any talent, go for a recreational career but not for a professional music career since you will most likely not make it to the top without having sufficient talent for it.

Learning Instruments Pros

Learning Instruments Cons

Learning instruments can improve creativity

Musicians often live unhealthy lifestyles

You can learn how to react in spotlight

Learning an instrument can be difficult

Learning an instrument can be fun

Can be expensive

May become a serious profession

You may need a teacher

You may be able to travel the world

Learning instruments can be time-consuming

Some people love the musician lifestyle

May lead to frustration

Can boost your confidence

May conflict with your corporate career

Music can improve your improvisation skills

Some people give up too early

You may find new friends

Some talent is required

Can help to overcome mental problems

Organizational efforts

As we can see from the previous analysis, there are many advantages and disadvantages of learning an instrument.

You have to decide for yourself whether the pros of learning an instrument outweigh the cons or not.

If you are not sure, you may just give it a try. After all, what do you have to lose?!
Make sure to get your first instrument right now. I suggest you start out with playing the guitar since it is not that difficult to learn and can be quite a lot of fun! Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_instruments https://medium.com/giglue/top-20-musical-instruments-you-can-easily-play-693f603a2bcf https://www.britannica.com/art/musical-instrument About the author
My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues.

As I went to university and got my Master's degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics.

After finishing university, I traveled around the world. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet.

Wanna make a contribution to save our environment? Share it!

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27 Sound Pros & Cons Of Learning An Instrument - E&C

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" I just want to improve as an actor, and I am also fond of dancing and learning musical instruments." Mithila Palkar, Actress However, apart from the many advantages related to learning to play music instruments, there are also some issues related to it.

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Children change rapidly as they grow. Many of these changes are physical. Other changes are cognitive, which means the changes affect the way children think and learn. Child development often occurs in stages, with the majority of children hitting specific developmental landmarks by the time they reach a certain age. What are the 5 stages of child development? Read on to find out.

A Brief History

Scholars have different opinions on the exact number of stages of development children go through on their way to becoming adults. In 1936, for example, Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget worked out a theory that describes four main stages of child development: Birth through 18 - 24 months, a "preoperational" that includes toddlerhood and early childhood through the age of 7, a "concrete operational" stage from ages 7 - 12, and adolescence. Other scholars describe six stages of child development that include newborns, infants, toddlers, preschool, school age, and adolescents.

Failing to reach some of the milestones may signal a developmental disability. Because of screening techniques child development specialists use, most people with developmental disabilities receive a diagnosis by the time they reach adolescence. With this in mind, child development may be discussed in terms of five stages.

Five Stages of Child Development

1. Newborn

During the first month of life, newborns exhibit automatic responses to external stimuli. In other words, a newborn will turn her head toward your hand when you stroke her cheek or grab your finger when you place it in her hand. A newborn is able to see close-up objects, recognize certain smells, smile or cry to indicate a need, and move her head from side to side.

Newborns may show signs developmental disabilities, such as spina bifida, genetic disorders and fetal alcohol syndrome.

2. Infant

Infants develop new abilities quickly in the first year of life. At three to six months, an infant can control his head movements and bring his hands together. By six to nine months old, an infant can sit without support, babble and respond to his name. Between nine and twelve months old, a baby can pick up objects, crawl and even stand with support.

Slow development in infants may be signs of Down's syndrome and other developmental disabilities.

3. Toddler

As children reach the ages between one and three years, toddlers learn to walk without help, climb stairs and jump in place. They can hold a crayon, draw a circle, stack one block on top of another, use short sentences and even follow simple instructions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends screening for autism at 18 to 24 months, or whenever a parent or health care professional has a concern.

4. Preschool

Between the ages of three and five years, children refine their motor skills. They can throw a ball overhand, skip and hop, stand on one foot for ten seconds or longer, dress themselves, and draw a person with features.

Signs of developmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, may appear during this stage of development.

5. School age

School age children are six to 12 years old. They are capable, confident, independent and responsible. Peer relationships, particularly relationships with friends of the same gender, are important to school age children. The older school age child begins to develop sexual characteristics.

Signs of ADHD, such as trouble staying focused and being easily distracted, may appear in school age children.

If you worry that your child is falling behind, contact RISE, innovative human services network originally established in 1987. RISE offers a variety of helpful services for people with disabilities, including day programs, employment assistance, managed care, residential settings, and home and community based services. The developmental specialists at RISE provide early intervention services, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy for children with developmental disabilities.

Source

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-4mo.html

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What are the 5 Stages of Child Development - RISE Services Inc

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Children change rapidly as they grow. Many of these changes are physical. Other changes are cognitive, which means the changes affect the way children think and learn. Child development often occurs in stages, with the majority of children hitting specific developmental landmarks by the time they reach a certain age.