Regularly playing an instrument has been identified as changing the shape and power of your brain and develops your cognitive skills. Research has suggested that both listening to and playing a musical instrument can increase your memory.
In today’s session, we had the pleasure of having a workshop with several primary 6 and primary 7 pupils from Greenmill Primary School in East Ayrshire. These pupils take part in the ‘String Project’ and play as an orchestra at many events. They only ever practice for about 50 minutes every week as no outwith school lessons are required. These children were so talented and dedicated to their instrument at such a young age.
Playing a musical instrument provides children with discipline as they must remain quiet and focus during performances. This project, I believe, is beneficial to the children as it gives them a head start in developing useful skills which they can use in the future.
During the session, after we had listened to the children play a piece of music we were then allocated a ‘buddy’ to show us how to properly hold our chosen instrument. At this point, the pupils from Greenmill became the teachers and we became the students. I was not aware of the amount the child had to learn in order to play their instrument correctly. Not just the physical music playing side but also the correct sitting position, the way in which to hold the bow and also timing being a key component. Learning all of this in a short period of time each week stimulates the child’s brain in order for them to be able to retain a large amount of information in the future.
Reflecting on this input, I found it to be extremely rewarding. It highlighted the importance of working at the same level as the students and being aware of the challenges they may face and how to address these as a teacher. Also, after talking to the children it became aware that the ‘String Project’ did not just develop their music skills but also it benefited them both academically and socially by giving them better concentration and confidence.
Below is a video of the orchestra showing their talents.
