Director’s Article: Music and Sports
thinking of Choosing between music and sports for your child? Don’t.
Music and sports have always been part of my life. When I was in grade school I participated in a sport, an academic extracurricular and music every season. Now that I’m an adult, I just completed my eighth(!) triathlon along with my daughter. Sure, I didn’t win, not even close, but that’s not the point. It’s about living a well-rounded life.
Unfortunately, too often, parents limit their children to one type of activity over another (sports over arts for example) I believe you can, and should, do both. Here are eight reasons why:
Healthy Lifestyle and Healthy Future. It’s important to take care of your body, mind and soul throughout your life. Participating in music and sports are great activities to support a healthy lifestyle. Playing music is just like participating in sports, we just use smaller muscles. Use good form, hand position, posture, and your body will take care of you too. Awareness of breathing and how you use the body is very important for both making music and exercise. Participating in exercise and fitness when young is a great way to learn what activities you enjoy to keep a healthy body throughout your life. Participating in music can feed the soul and reach human emotions, that words cannot reach. They both make a fuller, healthier life.
You’re not alone - Support of family, friends and teammates. This is essential, especially for young musicians. I still remember my sports and music coaches and parents cheering me on at events – sports, music and academic. Both my cross country and piano teacher would tell me to keep my “shoulders down” - which would help me become more relaxed so my muscles could move easier when running or playing the piano. My family still cheers me on. That means so much - especially now with my kids looking up to me. In team sports, you have the support of peers who also cheer you on. Perhaps you’re in a music band with your peers. If not, start one!
“But I don’t have time!” - Time Management. Training for music and sports is impossible without good time management. In order to train for three sports, such as in a triathlon, or even for team sports with weekly practices and games, you need to plan in advance, especially when time is at a premium. Same with music – plan in advance and use your time wisely, and you’ll receive the best results. You’ll also have to address the “but I don’t have time” issue, and be realistic with what you can do. You may not have time to train for a marathon, but you can train for a 5k. You may not have time to learn the entire Sonata or Aria right now, but you can learn two lines really well in 15 minutes.
Hitting “the wall”- Persistence. There comes a time 2/3 of the way through a distance run when you feel like “I can’t” or “It’s too hard.” Students will also have these “valleys” in their music playing. That is normal. What your child will learn is persistence and ways to overcome obstacles. If this is you, chat with your teacher about strategies.
Improving your “third” sport - Perseverance . In triathlons, you swim, bike and run. Open water distance swimming is my “third” sport, which means it’s not my favorite. But I have to get through the swimming, so I’ve been working hard at it, and can now swim the whole distance without stopping. Perhaps playing scales evenly is your “third sport” in your instrument. Work with your teacher / coach about how to improve your “third sport.” Learning to push through and improve are life skills that will help your child succeed.
Build confidence. You should see the smiles when students have worked hard and believe in themselves. They have the skills and belief that they can do it. Itś celebrated in the practicing and performances of music and sports events.
Individual success. Your teacher or coach cannot do it for you. There is a direct correlation between your preparation and performance.
Achieving long-term goals. Delayed gratification is an important skill to learn. Whether that’s breaking your personal record, or learning a Beethoven sonata… achieving your long-term goals feels great.
Do you know that we have lessons EVERY DAY of the week? Also, if you need to miss a lesson, just give us a 24-hour notice and you can reschedule. Give us a call to find out more: 651-263-9475
See you soon!
Emily Ireland,
Owner, Director
Brighter Minds Music