Coach Emmanuel teaches Saxophone, Clarinet, Piano and Music theory at KMC.
He says many of his students think that learning to read music notation is a form of punishment! In this article he sets out five benefits of reading notation and hopes his students, and many like them, will feel differently about music notation after reading this article. So do share with any reluctant music readers that you know of!
Music is something special that everyone can feel, even if they don’t speak the same language. It goes beyond just making us happy; it can also make our brains work better and improve different parts of our lives.
In this article, we will explore how being able to read music notation can help our brains and our daily life.
1. Reading notation is like taking your brain to the gym
Understanding music notes is like solving a fun puzzle for your brain. First, your eyes sends messages to your brain based on the musical symbols it sees on the page, your brain interprets the message and then sends a message to whatever part of your body is needed to play the instrument (e.g. your mouth, fingers or feet), telling it what note to play or how to strike the instrument. At the same time, your ears are listening to check that you have played the correct note or rhythm that your eyes saw. If you played the wrong note, your brain will tell you there was a mistake that needs correcting. And all of this happens so fast, that you don’t even realise all that is going on.
All of this activity is like a brain workout, and it helps your brain get used to doing complicated things so that you can be better at doing lots of things – not just music!
2. Reading notation helps you to be focused and organised
The process of learning to read notation, trains you to be focused and organized. You learn to be patient and it and helps you pay attention to detail. These skills are very important for school, work, and pretty much everything you do in life.
3. Reading notation helps you to express feelings through music
Music notes are like a secret code, that allow you express how you feel, without using words. When you understand this code, you can show your emotions better, and you can also understand how others feel. This makes it easier to connect with people and understand them.
4. Reading notation unlocks your creativity
Being able to read and write notation gives you the freedom to express your creativity exactly as you wish. You can share your musical ideas with people without relying on anyone to do it for you. Imagine if you could not read English. You would have to find someone to read this article to you, and you would not know if they were reading it correctly or not.
It’s the same with music. If you can read and write music, then you can express your creative ideas freely. And you can also use your creativity to solve problems in other areas of life too.
5. Reading notation enables you to appreciate different cultures
When you can read musicnotation, you will be able to explore music from all over the world. This opens up other cultures and traditions to you, and allows you to experience the world’s beautiful diversity.
In summary, reading music notes isn’t just about playing music; it’s about making your brain sharper, being better organized, expressing feelings better, getting creative, and understanding different cultures. So, embrace the journey of learning music notes and let the magic of music make your life even more amazing!
Explore Music Tuition Options with KMC
If you would like your child to be musically literate – that is, able to read and write down music like they can read and write their spoken language, you are at the right place. Our comprehensive, graded music curriculum gives our students the skills to be proficient in reading and performing music on their instrument.