“Why the rush?” asked the wise man. I have to be there with everyone else, said the girl.
If everyone is already there, why do you want to go there?
Cause, together with everyone, I want to be there for myself. Living, loving, enjoying and believing; waiting on the dawn of something new…anything new.
New Year is right around the corner.
Friends have already been informed and plans are already laid for the New Years Eve. While all this is happening, a tiny voice inside your head is asking you to make some new resolutions for the New Year. Maybe lose those excess corners around your body, or learn a new language or be more disciplined, or start your coffee shop.
You might start questioning the futility of making New Year resolutions if you can’t keep them. And yet every year you keep a few. Why so much fuzz over making resolutions every year? It’s a time to let go of the past errors and start afresh, start new, begin a new experience, learn a new skill or an art, indulge in a hobby. We all just need a good starting point and New Year presents us with that opportunity.
So this year, we at Furtados School of music would like to recommend learning music as one of your action items in the New Year resolution list. Learning to play a musical instrument surely deserves to be in the list of New Year resolutions. And there are good reasons to do make this happen.
Learning and listening Music presents limitless possibilities: there are some skills which have an age factor attached to it. Your joints and bones may not support your ambition of learning basketball at the age of 70, but can you pick a flute and learn the tunes? Absolutely! It doesn’t require any physical strength, which is why it is a great skill to acquire, irrespective of your age.
It’s fulfilling and satisfying: No matter which musical instrument you desire to practice. At the end of a practice session you have created Music! Imagine a learning that leaves you creating something so beautiful.
Unwind to your own tunes: After a long day of whatever it is you do to earn your bread and butter, you usually would unwind with a cup of tea or a glass of wine and some music on your phone that calms you. When you learn to play a musical instrument, the big difference would be instead of playing someone else’s music you are picking up a guitar and practicing which is ten-fold relaxing than the earlier ritual. Just listening to music eases our mind, but creating music yourself is even better.
You will not just learn to play music but also learn a new language: Wondering what this new language is? Well, these are musical notations. The musical notation is a language in itself. To express this language through your musical instrument requires you to develop fine motor and coordination skills. And the learning won’t stop just there. Your ability to focus will improvise as you progress further with your lessons and practice.
Go Ahead Socialize: The New Year will not just open the world of music to you but you will also be able to meet new people and socialize with like-minded people by exchanging notes, experiences and as you proceed further with your lessons, you can even jam together in your own way.
Broaden the horizon: Learning to play a musical instrument can broaden the emotional, intellectual and even spiritual horizons of your mind irrespective of the age factor. When we make the time and take efforts to learn something new, it injects a fresh batch of the rush of confidence within us which helps us with our feeling of self-worth and accomplishment. And playing a musical instrument is a definite way to see, hear and feel that accomplishment.
We haven’t forgotten one tiny challenge of not being able to keep up your New Year resolution. So we are also recommending a few things that will help you stick to your resolution called Music.
Take up the musical instrument that you would really like to learn instead of going for the second favorite
Keep a realistic goal
Start small
Join a good music school
Decide on a time to practice every day (Practicing every day will keep you in the groove)
No matter what, do not miss your music class
Join a group or community of people who are sailing in a similar boat
A good habit sets precedent and motivates you to cultivate many others, once you realize you are able to keep up these promises you made to yourself. You just have to try once and you will realize the wonders music can bring in your life.
So don’t wait for the last minute, go ahead, at least start enquiring. Take the first step and everything else will fall in place.