How to Enhance Your Music Learning Experience

It’s something that the experts advocate in order to keep your mind active and sharp, especially as you grow older. Learning how to play a musical instrument is supposed to be as effective as learning a new language in helping to stave off dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other mental illnesses that affect your neurons and the quality of your life when you enter the twilight years. No, it’s not an easy task, especially when most people who are skilled at playing music begin at a very early age and have the advantage of youth on their side. But, if you really want to achieve this goal, here’s how you can enhance and enrich your music learning experience:

• Choose an instrument that offers easy access: By this, I mean it’s wise to choose to learn an instrument for which instructors are readily available. They must live near you so that it’s easy for you to attend class every day. When you have to go out of your way to continue to learn how to play, you may tire of the experience and give up too soon. Also, choose an instrument that is not too difficult to play and one which you can continue to play on your own long after your lessons come to an end. So if you’re learning to play the piano, it makes sense to own one so that you can practice at home and continue to play regularly.
• Don’t expect instant results: It’s very hard to master even the most basic of instruments, especially if you’re learning music for the first time. So give yourself enough time and be patient with yourself even if the going is difficult. You are going to feel extremely frustrated when your fingers do not cooperate and you’re unable to grasp even the most basic of chords. But with patience and perseverance, you should be able to make progress, surely but steadily.
• Practice religiously: This is the most important aspect of learning to play an instrument – you must practice for hours daily whether you want to or not. If you want to gain mastery over or at least know how to decently play an instrument, you must spend at least an hour or two a day practicing what you have learned. Even the most gifted maestros and musicians spend time every day practicing their craft, because they know that practice is what makes perfection. So make it a habit to practice, and watch your playing skills bloom and grow.

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This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of online degrees . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com