by Maurice Richard
Most parents know that guitar lessons are good for their child in some ways. However, many don’t realize some of the more important benefits of learning to play the guitar.
I know this is true because many people will put a higher value on sports than they do music or guitar lessons.
However, when compared to each other, music always wins out. That’s because most parents are not aware of how powerful music can be for their child.
Here are 5 major benefits that your child can receive by learning to play the guitar.
1. Learning To Play The Guitar Helps Teach Discipline
Who does not want their child to be more disciplined right? I’m a parent and I will tell you right now the sooner your child can learn to be self-disciplined the better it is for them and for you.
Learning to play the guitar requires discipline no matter who you are, children included. There are many intricate motor skills and also mental skills that must be developed to successfully play the guitar.
This is not the case with every instrument and especially not at the beginning, so the guitar has an advantage in this sense. However, it does make it a bit more difficult to learn to play.
On top of this going to lessons regularly, learning in with a teacher in a guitar class and then practicing at home will all help develop discipline in your child.
This is a skill that will help them for the rest of their lives too.
2. Learning To Play The Guitar Builds Self-Confidence
Who does not want more self-confidence for themselves or their children?
Learning how to play any musical instrument is great for a child’s self-confidence. That’s because learning an instrument develops skills that they can see and hear very quickly and that makes them feel good and accomplished!
It’s even better when that instrument is the guitar because of all the instruments that they can learn to play, no other is considered as popular and cool in our culture. It simply carries a lot more weight in everyone’s mind.
Think about it. Who is the cool person at the campfire? The one who breaks out the guitar and gets everyone singing to some campfire tunes right?
Being able to learn how to play the coolest thing on the planet and your child will be a more confident person because of it.
3. Social Development Is Another Cool Benefit Of Learning Guitar
This ties right in with the previous point about self-confidence.
Children know what is cool and acceptable and what is not. Fitting in socially can be very difficult when you are young.
So, if your child has a social skill that no one else or very few others have, that will give them an advantage early in life.
This can open doors they would not have been able to open before and presents opportunities that would not exist otherwise.
The guitar has a very prominent place in our society and being able to play it puts your child in a position to benefit from it socially for their whole lives.
It’s not always the case of course, there are always exceptions, but in general this applies to most people.
4. Learning Guitar Can Lead To Better Academic Performance
In order to learn to play the guitar, a child has to learn and develop many skills.
The most important one is being able to process sounds. This has been shown to help them learn languages better.
Some studies have also shown a correlation with increased reading skills, stronger at mathematics, increased spatial recognition, as well as general academic performance and intellectual maturity. Other studies showed people who played music typically had higher IQ’s.
Not every child or person will get all of these benefits. We are all different after all. However, not learning to play the guitar certainly is not going to add any them to your child’s life.
Learning how to pay the guitar gives your child an early academic advantage that can help them now and forever.
5. Overall Brain Development Will Increase By Learning Guitar
There are few things your child can do that will engage both sides of the brain at the same time and learning how to play the guitar happens to be one of them!
Studies have shown that the entire brain is active while playing a musical instrument and that means the entire brain is developing when your child learn how to play the guitar.
Music creates new pathways in the brain and the more they are exposed to learning to play the guitar the more these pathways help enable and facilitate other types of learning.
This overall brain development will help your child have a better chance at success during childhood and later in life.

Why The Guitar Is The Ideal Instrument To Learn On
The guitar is ideal to learn on for many reason. It is portable, it is relatively inexpensive, it is considered one of the coolest instruments and will be something your child will play for life once they learn. You can’t say that for most other instruments.
Although there are physical challenges to learning how to play the guitar, they can easily be minimized with the right approach.
For example, getting children to use junior sized electric guitars to start learning on is a great start.
Also, finding a professionally trained guitar teacher in your area with experience and proof they have helped many other children learn is a huge asset.
The main thing is to take your time with children, let them have fun with the guitar, and do not expect them to be shredding overnight. If you give them every chance to succeed they will!
About The Author:
Maurice Richard is a professional guitar teacher that operates out of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He has been a member of an elite guitar teaching mentorship program since 2007 and has taught many people how to learn to play the guitar. Go to his website to find out how he can help your child learn how to play the guitar.
© Maurice Richard Music. All rights reserved.