Or is sport more important than music?

[Azquilith]

Having an argument with DP about our DS learning music in the future. DP was in an orchestra at school - do kids really play in orchestras any more? Surely it's a bit 1950s and playing sport is more important for development and making friends?

Are you for real? Orchestras a bit 1950's?!

I don't think one is more important than the other. I did both and school and loved them. Your son will ultimately do what he is most interested in.

What utter rubbish. Of course kids still learn instruments, play in orchestras and develop all the same kind of social skills, team working etc that they do in sport by participating in music (and arguably many more, but let's not go there for now). Why not let your kids try both and see which suits them best, rather than shutting out the possibility of either by deciding that it's too 1950s?

DS plays football and cricket for his school (and outside school) AND plays in the school orchestra and wind band (and county jazz band / music lessons outside school).

He benefits hugely from both.

YAB daft!

playing in an orchestra/group is an amazing sense of being a team just as sport is

my DDs have both just done 6 day residential course for a county youth orchestra and it is awesome
all 3 of my kids sing in choirs and play 2 instruments

that's not to say physical activity is not also important and rewarding, and a means of making friends

neither is "more important" - some people like one more than the other or are gifted in one not the other

I agree with usualsuspect. There are orchestras and bands in most secondary schools as well as footy/rugby/whatever teams.

Wow.

How old is DS? Music supports numeracy and literacy. Sport is important but music is too.

Having an interest in or aptitude for sport is a useful life skill, for health as well as social life. But not at the expense of music. Music is a human universal; sport is not.

Sure kids play in orchestras! Ds plays percussion and is in his school orchestra, wind band, swing band and percussion group. He has made loads of friends through music, as I did when I was a teenager. He also plays cricket and loves that too.

I wouldn't say either is more important, it depends on what your child is interested in. I wasn't remotely sporty, but loved music. Some children love sport but have no interest in playing an instrument. Others like both. Some may not enjoy either but be into art/drama etc. Go with what your child enjoys.

not listening to the prom then OP?

Both are important. All children should be given opportunities to do sport (lots of different types to find something they are good at or enjoy) and music. Some of them will want to be in an orchestra or the rugby team, others will not have aptitude for either, but they'll never know until they try.

Music and literature are far, far more important than playing games.

I was really good at music and really crap at sport. I played in an orchestra and made friends there.

My friend was really good at sport and really crap at music. She played on the hockey team and made friends there.

And wait for this, because this is amazing, another friend was really good at sport and really good at music and she...did both!

It's fairly straightforward.

I could (and pretty much do) live without sport, but not without music. Yab crackers.

I did both at school. Many of the girls in the school teams were also in the concert band and jazz bands too. I also did drama and dance too. It's not mutually exclusive!

DS is nearly two and does like singing nursery rhymes but I genuinely thought that music stuff at school didn't really happen anymore, isn't it all football at school and then trying to get on X Factor? Do kids still learn instruments?

How can you choose between sport, or music, or art?! I think that the important thing is to encourage a healthy lifestyle and a creative outlet (or several), by giving your children access to lots of different activities from across the spectrum in the hope that they will find one or two that really suit them and which they can continue into adulthood.

Of course children still learn instruments. My nearly six year old is learning to play the violin and will learn recorder from next year at school. Lots of his friends are starting music lessons.

When I was last at uni, music was sport. See how many bars of Dvo?ák 9 we could get away with before someone fucked up. Result: 6 ('cellos). See how fast I would dare take the Hebrides overture. Result: not very.