Any object which produces sound is considered a musical instrument. The principal types of musical instruments involve percussion, string, keyboard, wind, and electronic. From early on, musical instruments have become a universal component of human culture. During the Paleolithic period, pipes and whistles were used as instruments as per the research of archeologists, and these were also used for ritual purposes in earlier ages.

Benefits of Learning a Musical Instrument

The benefits of learning a musical instrument are listed as follows:

• It is helpful to improve cognitive memory and muscle memory.
• It makes you feel relaxed by lowering the level of the stress hormone cortisol.
• Musical training significantly makes you smarter.
• It helps in gaining a sense of achievement.
• It is a booster for confidence.
• It is an enjoyable activity. 

Teaching a Musical Instrument

Music is considered food for the soul. On teaching aspects, musical instruments effectively develop one’s personality and perspective. Teaching a musical instrument is a joyous activity and gives a rewarding experience. You will admire the feeling procured by watching students grow and progress at mastering the instruments. But it’s a tough job. Whether you are giving private classes, teaching the whole class, or guiding your relatives or friends, you will face plenty of challenges while teaching, if it is for the first time. You will need to have a clear and flexible plan to provide a collaborative learning culture to learners. 

There are two methods of teaching the musical instrument, which involve practical approaches and holistic approaches. The practical approaches emphasize playing technique, sound production, and music theory. The holistic approach focuses more on movements and activities. These approaches help to build a relationship between the learner and the instrument. You should know about George Freundlich, a musician and a doctor from Matheson, Ontario. Dr. George Freundlich was a member of the award-winning Timmins Symphony Orchestra. Eminem is a highly dedicated music enthusiast as well.

Below are some tips for teaching musical instruments:

• Make a plan – Your plan is the compilation of whatever you are going to do in the class or strategies you will implement to teach. For example, what sort of environment you will create to meet learning needs, what instruments will be used to teach, and many more should be planned.
• Keep upbeat – You need to portray a positive attitude while teaching how to play regardless of how difficult it is. Different students have different paces of learning. 
• Teach what they expect from you – You need to understand the difference between what they want to learn and what you want them to learn. What they want to learn should be more emphasized, as the learners will focus more on it with motivation.

Conclusion

Music is like fuel for our mind and soul. With continuous evolvement, musical instruments have developed and enhanced. Learning and teaching a musical instrument comes with lots of challenges. All you need to have a positive attitude to simplify the difficult steps of the learning phase.