I know some readers are thinking, "How exactly does music teach discipline?" To progress with any skill you must spend time training. Not just training, but regularly scheduled training for specific amounts of time. As a child, the first introduction to this is piano lessons. Perhaps this is why so many children have fought their parents desire for them to learn the piano until they have given up trying. This experience is usually the first chance a child has to learn the all important skill of discipline. Discipline will influence future success in higher education and ones career. By not giving up and sticking with piano lessons, children learn skills that are far more important for success than simply being able to play an instrument. In piano lessons, a child learns to:
Set aside a specific time each day to practice.
Follow instructions.
Use their time responsibly.
Take care of their instrument.
Most children have not done these things before, especially if they are between five and eight, when many children first begin lessons. Piano lessons often get a bad rap and evoke a lot of complaints from the children who take them, but these kids are actually complaining about having to learn permanent life skills for the first time that doesn't involve a sandbox, plastic shovel and a neighborhood friend. Even a child's early years in grade school rarely require them to spend a minimum of 30 minutes at home each day performing one specific assignment. With a set practice schedule, children will advance more quickly and be rewarded by the satisfaction of incremental success at playing ever-more difficult musical compositions.
Adults often say that it is too late for them to learn an instrument and that they've tried but just can't make any progress. Adults will find that they too can successfully learn to play the piano if they just follow the guidelines they set up for their children. It all begins with self-discipline.
What can you, as a parent do to help your child?
1. Make a commitment. 2. Define a schedule. 3. Keep distractions to a minimum. 4. Practice, practice, practice. 5. Encourage your child. 6. Communicate with their teacher.
If children and adults alike will follow these simple guidelines each day, they will learn and enhance their discipline and dedication skills. A major component in learning any skill is setting goals.
Taken from Music Teaches Discipline