Music lessons are a waste of time for most kids

OP, people are getting cross with you because your statement is “Music lessons are a waste of time for most kids”.Which implies that most kids don’t get pleasure or learn anything useful from learning an instrument, it’s just a chore parents force on them. Also a really weird implication that it’s only those who become a top level professional musician who benefit.

Ok, if that’s your view - I think it massively underestimates how much fun making music in a group or even by yourself can be. And that it’s something adults can enjoy too. But don’t pretend it’s not what you said and be surprised when people disagree.

What are you talking about, OP?

By your reasoning, sports and art are also a waste of time.

And what about learning about geography and history in school? Most kids won't become professional geographers or historians, so isn't that a similar waste of time, by your logic?

Realistically, music, art and sports are probably far more likely to be things that adults still participate in on an amateur basis, so being exposed to music education as a child potentially gives them a hobby for life.

Sure, not every child is going to love everything, but that doesn't mean that music is a total waste of time for the rest of us!

Rubbish. Ds and I have piano lessons, Dd, violin. I get joy and 10 minutes peace. By having lessons the kids have learnt to perform, grow in confidence and presentation skills. It helps with Maths. Both Dc achieved 9’s in music gcse by having grade 5 with very little effort. Ds plays occasionally at uni and has found it a way to start up conversations. Not all worth is measured in financial terms.

Don’t the vast majority do it for fun? Of all the kids I can think of there’s only one mum who reckons their chosen sport will be a career prospect. Most people just value extra curricular activities and hobbies that make us happy surely? And if it does turn into a career… bonus!

Not really sure the point of the OPs post really. It’s depressing and narrow minded to the extreme.

Aside from the massive benefits to my neurodiverse child’s high school experience and finding her ‘place’ with her musical friends and supportive teacher…. (Oh - and yes, she took her BTEC a year early and received a distinction, which has allowed her to go into y11 with an invigorated view that she can succeed elsewhere, but anyway….) giving her confidence to perform on stage, speak about something she is passionate about and allow a creative outlet? No, no benefit whatsoever (massive eye roll).

I’m also going to point out my uncle, who was relatively well know in the ‘80’s (think TOTP and the Roxy) and has performed both front of 2 bands and as a backing musician, and hasn’t had to ever have a ‘conventional’ job as a result of this, following his career path with music as his strongest skill. And then there are all the friends we have made though his career as we are very close. Sound engineers, technical people, backing singers, studio owners, creatives, instrument makers and the list goes on. It’s a huge industry.

‘Someone’ will be an astronaut, a fine textile weaver, a specialised brain surgeon, a fine artist or any other career or skill you dont consider to be mainstream or common, but If you don’t nurture talent or even encourage it, you don’t know.

Seriously?

My whole family play brass instruments. For a while we all played in the same brass band.
Music is great for building perseverance, showing the practice is needed to improve, playing in groups with others.

We had some great times playing together, carols in the market square (bloody freezing but great atmosphere) to playing at summer fetes.

I have now retired due to ill health and continue to play in a brass band and have also joined two choirs, taken up bass recorder and am planning on picking up my viola again.

People don't do music to be the next big thing. There might be the odd deluded person but everyone knows there is no money in (classical) music and making it in pop is fucking hard.

They do it because it's fun (mostly) and you can play in groups.

If you never have lessons you'll never know if you're good at it or enjoy music or not- so it's always worth giving kids the opportunity to have lessons.

No, they are not a waste of time, they enrich the brain. Knowing how to read and play music is fantastic for the neural connections, not to mention that it can be a pleasurable pastime/hobby in adult life

I'm fucking shit at classical music. I'm an amazing teacher, though - I teach adults who always wanted to learn something but were put off by mean kids at school who were better, those whose parents didn't see the point if you can't get a grade 8 by age 6, those who were never going to be second chair.

I've taught kids who have been on the receiving end of this, too. And I get them performing, making a good sound, developing confidence, seeing their families and others applauding - some of those that I taught the absolute basics in my instruments, encouraged, supported, said 'of course there's a point, it's the music and how it makes you feel that's the point, don't let some idiot try and knock you down' had far more talent than I ever did and are subsequently working, presumably unlike you, as professional musicians. Others may not be performing or in a band (some are, though), but what they are doing is standing up in front of colleagues, clients and customers for presentations, tuition, pitches and training, not crying and running away, because it's their stage and they have the right to own it - which is what I taught them. It's theirs. Some are in the music or entertainment industry, some are technicians, some are managers, some lawyers. They're all owning their stage due in part to my enthusiasm, attitude and unapologetic 'Think you can do better? Maybe you can, but you're not pissing over my stage to do it' attitude to people sneering at their initial sounds.

It's their stage, not yours. So bog off with the 'it's a waste of time' nonsense. It absolutely isn't.

So I will also add, my nephew was a professional classical musician. Went to music college. Played as freelance for about 4 years. Married to women who was successful concert pianist. Not top league but good enough to be in demand constantly and win BBC competition for piano section.

They did both make a decent living. There was plenary of demand. They loved the travel. They were even able to buy a house quite young off back of it, long before my own kids who had office professional jobs.

But then Covid hit. Then Brexit.

covid meant work stopped. Luckily the wife was officially employed by an orchestra by then so furlough. Then Brexit meant travelling abroad was going to get way more tricky, especially with expensive instrument in tow.

nephew decided he’d retrain in services (not military). She decided to retrain in another profession which is very competitive - she has just quailified this year after 3 years study and, like pretty much everything she does has been very successful winning allot of awards through training.

both of them have taken soft skills into their new careeers form their old music careeers. About self determination and persistence, self discipline (all that practice), ability to present themselves and “perform” to do the jobs they do now- calm, unflappability.

yep, all those years of musical training and expensive specialist schools etc could be seen as wasted. What they feel is they had fabulous times and experiences, they got to do the thing they loved. Not many people can say with passion they love what they do.
They have a talent for life that opens up networks and social life . But it was time to move on - Brexit and Covid were the catalyst that forced that decision probably sooner then otherwise, but eventually it would have happened. In my nephew case he knew he’d always be playing his instrument at that “professional” level, there aren’t promotions as such- just more stable jobs. He’d be playing the same piece when he was 67 as he’d been at 17. And he was far too restless for that. He’s now doing a very physically demanding job and loves it.

He says “never say never” to going back to professional music performing, but he is happy where it has taken him and what he’s doing now. He’d be horrified by suggestion he wasted that education.

I get so much joy from listening to my kids play their instruments. I can’t read music, was never given the opportunity. My husband can play the cello and piano. He plays just at home for fun essentially, he can help our kids out with their music too. It can just be for joy and fun?

Absolutely not. Playing an instrument can bring joy through your whole life. It doesn't always, but if a kid has grade 6 and can read music before their exams get serious, they can play themselves in future without any help. My son was a reluctant pianist and he dropped it the second I said he could - now he's playing Chopin.

It didn't cross my mind for a second it would be a career.

Music is the only (I think) activity that uses both sides of your brain. Developing your brain is never pointless. Listening to and making music can be social, solitary, for performance, to dance to, an impromptu clashing of pans or a spontaneous song. How ridiculous to think practising it in any form is not worthwhile.

Grade 8 by 8?!

Never lucky enough to have music lessons as a kid but really wish I had - I have many friends who get great pleasure from playing the piano etc

I agree, bloody Mozart banging away on tbe ole Joanna, who needs that?
Give me Chas and Dave anyday. They knew how to play real music. GERTCHA!

Absolutely. Loads of benefits

Glad you weren't at my dd's school gate when she was younger. I'd probably have made you 'die inside' talking about how much she was loving her music lessons. Music got her through a period of serious illness, and Covid lockdown when she couldn't do any of her other activities. It may well have saved her life. But she's not going to be the next Stephen Hough so waste of time, right?

• emotionally rewarding. Seriously, I'm so cross I can barely type!

I had ten years of music lessons, starting at age 8. No one in my very middle class primary school started learning an instrument before age 8, so the idea that any normal child is achieving grade 8 around that age is pretty wild.

Am I a professional musician? No.

Was it all a waste of time and money? Also no.

This 100%. Currently enjoying a financially and emotionally career as a piano teacher due to my early accomplishments . And btw, playing piano as a teen literally saved my life. I hated school, was bullied, self harmed etc and my only sanctuary was music. Even if I was " scraping " my way through grade four or whatever, I loved it, on a really deep level. Your attitude is awful and you display a terrible ignorance about the role arts can play in a child or adults mental wellbeing.

Thankfully now the music landscape is changing, people are recognising that there are lots of pathways through to becoming a professional musician and you don’t always start young. There aren’t enough people in the system so please don’t discourage the ones that want to go in it. All the conservatoires will tell you tales about lack of applicants and that is now feeding through as there are less teachers and therefore it’s harder to learn and down the spiral goes. People are put off by myths such as you need to be grade 8 by 12. It simply isn’t true. You don’t want to give people false hope, but the reality now is very different from 10 to 20 years ago. People are getting scholarships that wouldn’t have got a place back then.

My DDs enjoy music - eldest is a talented oboe player and knows where ever she ends up she’s always going to be able to find a band or orchestra. The youngest is leaning towards singing whatever they do, they’ll have an amazing hobby.