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When I was in fourth grade, I decided that I wanted to be in the school band. Like most girls, I chose the flute. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I played the flute in concert band, pep band, and marching band for eight years until I graduated from high school.

Children can benefit in many ways from learning music and how to play an instrument. Everyone has heard that it will improve math and reading skills. I'm not sure that everyone knows why. Reading sheet music requires counting, fractions, and of course reading at a quick pace. A good school music program will teach the math component of sheet music. Learning music at a young age can be beneficial for learning to sight-read music faster as the child gets older. Sight-reading is playing a musical piece straight through without hearing how it sounds first. It is one of the most difficult things to learn. I couldn't sight-read until my freshman year of high school. Learning to read music is like learning to translate another language into movements and sound.

Hand-eye coordination also comes second nature when an instrument is learned. Yes, you can learn coordination from playing video games, but do you really want your child to be sitting in front of a television screen for an hour? Not only do you need coordination to turn notes into finger movements (or in the case of a trombone or percussion, hand and arm movements), you also need to coordinate your movements of your body when marching. Parade marching is simply what it sounds like, marching in a parade. It sounds simple, but you need to be aware of your surroundings. A parade member needs to keep in line with his or her row and column. Staying away from small children running near the edge of the street is also a good idea. Also, you will need to refrain from stepping on dead squirrels as my fellow flautist did in high school.

Donating instruments to local schools or national charities can give children opportunities to improve themselves and their futures. Instruments can be the gift of learning but also a gift of friendship. I have made more friends from the school band than in all of my other classes. Pep band and marching band are tight knit squads with friends that stick together through many years.

Learn more about this author, Niki Howlett.
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