MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS
we all know we learn best when we are enjoying ourselves and are immersed in the activity. Working with my colleagues at SoMi Academy, we have developed group instrumental lessons where the children learn through immersion. We utilise chunking, solfa, rhythm games, colour coding, ear training and guided listening so that the children are holistically developing as musicians and individuals – their whole brain firing at once.
confidence and connection with others. To converse through playing an instrument creates a dialogue without words, where an individual can express themselves, whilst simultaneously feeling connected with others.
Music is a leveller where we can all make our own unique contribution to the ensemble. Music- making is not about right or wrong; we merely create another version or mix – and all have their merits. Additionally, non verbal expression helps us express our feelings and tension is released through creativity.
Music speaks to all parts of our brains. To the older limbic one, where we regulate our emotions and behaviour, store memories and process sensory information; and to our more recently developed cerebral cortex, where our personalities develop and where we plan, problem solve and reason. It follows that through listening to and playing music, we develop a wealth of knowledge and skills; our emotional intelligence; and our ability to not only connect with others, but also more deeply with ourselves. Creating music together inspires and breeds confidence. As we hear another’s line of music, we are responding in real time, validating their
contribution and creating stronger bonds. I have seen children walk out of a music class seeking out a new friend who they connected with in class, or new found respect for the quiet child who played a beautiful melody that became the hook of a song we created. I remember the changes in the atmosphere in the room as well as in the body language and facial expressions of the children in the class.
This isn’t limited to children. I increasingly work with teachers and school staff, and love to see the development of their confidence and understanding as we go through our sessions, singing, playing and creating whilst learning music holistically. The creativity fostered and developed through this way of learning also develops our ability to creatively solve problems as our brains are functioning on multiple levels simultaneously.
Through repetition we develop the motor skills we need to create the sounds we want. Striving to achieve this goal helps us to develop resilience through practice, building incrementally on what we have previously learnt and mastered. One important part of learning to play an instrument is just that. It doesn’t feel like work. It’s fun! And
Neuroscience has shown us that playing a musical instrument sets off a firework display in the brain, helping it to grow and develop like nothing else. The corpus callosum, the path linking the left and right sides of the brain, is bigger in musicians than non musicians. This demonstrates how playing a musical instrument, and this includes the voice where we are the highly tuned instrument, unifies the intellectual and emotional intelligence. This bigger bridge allows messages and signals to travel faster along more varied pathways helping musicians to solve puzzles and problems more creatively and quickly. Musicians also have highly developed memory systems where each memory has multiple links and the brain can cross-reference, accessing information more quickly.
With all this in mind, if music was the thread which flowed through education, we’d raise our overall emotional and cognitive capacity, helping us to approach new things more confidently. For those of us with any mistiming issues between our visual, auditory and motor cortises, music guides it to the same beat and tempo. And for any school leaders who need further convincing – playing an instrument demands and teaches self- discipline, bringing fulfillment as well as fostering an individual’s maturity.
With so many varied ways of learning – hearing, singing, seeing, moving, feeling (physically and emotionally) – music involves every part of the brain and engages the motor, visual and auditory parts simultaneously. This aids memory function and allows us to more deeply absorb what we are experiencing, making sense of the world around us and helping us to relate to it with more understanding, empathy and compassion.
November 2025
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