Every year I talk to students who are thinking about dropping out of their school music programs. Every student I talk to has his or her own reasons for it. Often it’s because of other classes they want to take and they are having trouble making a music class fit their schedule. Sometimes it’s because they are taking private lessons and feel like the school music class is too easy for them and not worth their time. Every once in a while I talk to a student who just isn’t interested in music anymore.
While there are many reasons to not take a music class, there are just as many reasons to stay.
Being in a music class teaches you skills that you can apply to everything else. Your music class is not just about music. Music teaches you how to work with others and take responsibility for your own performance. It teaches you the skills you need to practice and master something – the same skills that you’ll use in all your other classes and then after you graduate and get a degree and start working a job. Music teaches you grit – the ability to stick with something, even when it gets hard. I could show you the research studies and the quotes from famous, successful people all day. People who participate in music and stick with it are more likely to graduate, less likely to get into trouble, have better mental health, and are more successful in their careers. If you don’t believe me, look it up. There’s a lot of evidence to back up those claims.
Being in an ensemble teaches you skills that you don’t learn as a soloist. Maybe you love playing music but you are taking private lessons and a school ensemble seems below your level. Skipping out on playing in an ensemble means you’re missing a whole set of skills that you aren’t going to get as a solo player. After three years of studying music in college, I took two years off to serve a mission. During those two years, I wasn’t able to play my violin much and I got rusty. When I returned to finish my degree, I knew I would have to make up the lost time and regain some of my playing skills, but the thing that surprised me the most was how difficult it was to relearn how to play in an ensemble. My playing skills as an individual came back pretty quickly. My ensemble skills took longer than I thought they would. It’s hard to play in a group, and it’s not just about the difficulty of the music. It’s about listening to everyone around you, watching the conductor, and making constant adjustments to match intonation, articulation, and style. It’s almost like learning to read minds, and getting good at it is magical.
Being part of an ensemble teaches you what it means to contribute to a community. So much of school is individual. Sure, you might do group work in your other classes on occasion, but your grade is almost always determined by your own work. If another student fails, it doesn’t affect you at all. In a music class, everyone is an important part of the group and each person’s success contributes to the success of the group as a whole. That means when you are in a music class, you matter. You belong. It doesn’t matter if you are the best musician in the group or the worst. You have a responsibility to everyone else in the group to do your best and help the others do their best as well. That responsibility and belonging is incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. Learning to be part of a group like that will bring you happiness and fulfillment for the rest of your life.
Being in an ensemble gives you opportunities to lead. If you are the best musician in your ensemble (or one of them), then you will be asked to be a leader at some point. You might be placed as a section leader, or asked to lead a small group rehearsal. You will probably get to play solos every so often. Leadership roles like that will teach you skills you never would learn on your own. You will learn how to teach others and how to work with others to get things done. You will learn more about yourself and how you react in different situations. Those are valuable skills in any part of your life. Those are the skills colleges and scholarship committees look for. Best of all, those opportunities will come to you just by being in the class.
Being in a school music class gives you more opportunities to play music. I left this one for last because I think it’s probably the most important. Ultimately we play music because we enjoy playing music. It’s fun. Sure, all the other benefits are great, but playing music is a benefit and reward by itself. Sometimes a student will tell me that they intend to keep playing on their own. That is certainly an option, but then you miss out on the fun of playing with others. If you love music, take advantage of every opportunity to play. Trust me when I say that after you graduate, those opportunities are harder to find.
I know very few of my students go on to study music after high school. I know a lot of them don’t even play after they graduate, and I’m okay with that. After 10 years of teaching and hundreds of students, many of whom I still keep in touch with, I have seen the long-term benefits of being in a music class. What you learn and experience in a music class, the relationships you’ll create and the skills you develop will stay with you for years to come. It’s an investment worth making.