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?

[OneDreamOnly]

Neither is more important. Your job as a parent is to spot your individual child's talents and encourage them.

^^ That.

Also a lot of parents will see music as a way to learn a lot of skills including the ability to stay focus and work hard for a long time before getting results.
I gently pushed my dcs towards football as a way to fit in which worked but that's what it is. Not a sport as such. Just an activity that helps them fitting in (various reasons there, one is a geek type, the other has social difficulties).

Then yes of course, promote sports as way to stay healthy but spot what is making them 'click' (Note this isn't at no cost at all though. ds1 is swimming and the swimming club, training 3 times a week, galas... all that has a cost!). And promote music, all type of music and maybe you will also have a child who actually likes and enjoys music (much cheaper when done at school ime than all the sports/after school stuff they do)

[KittiesInsane]

It does depend on the school (are we talking primary or secondary here, by the way?).

Our primary has free recorder and keyboard lessons and is starting up a ukulele club. Cost of recorder about £5, cost of beginner-level ukulele about £15, but they can be borrowed free. Choir is free and fab.

Local secondaries vary a lot.
At one local comp, music is pretty much the abode of the better-off. Probably around 50 to 80 kids in the school actively join the choir or orchestra.
At the other one, in a slightly tattier area, about 300-400 take part. You pay for any individual music lessons but the (four!) choirs, jazz band, steel band, guitar club, samba band etc are free. Musical theatre (I know, I know!) is £2.50 a week.

[almondcakes]

This is a strange thread. Surely, music plays a far larger part in the lives of almost everyone than sport?

I've never been to a funeral and had the coffin brought in while the mourners played a game of tennis around it.

Or attended a wedding where the bride came in and did a bit of trampoling down the aisle.

At every major sporting event people sing. At music events people don"t precede it with a game of tennis.

In adult life, I don't know anyone on a competitive sports team. I know lots of adults who swim, cycle, hill walk and dance. And pretty much everyone has to dance socially, at least at weddings. We should concentrate on those at school, not sport.

[JaneParker]

Interesting. Is that why the nation is fat and ill then as people are thinking music plays a bigger part? At that funeral you are using your legs or walking sticks to walk in and someone strong is carrying the coffin - sport surely plays its part there as it were. Sadly so few people sing these days that my children's father (organist) recommends hiring a professional singer at many weddings as otherwise the pathetic attenders sit there not singing at all and he becomes an organ solo. I would say do both - sport and music.

I know loads of people on competitive sports teams even in their 30s and 40s. I accept parents with children have less time and may give it up for a period but certainly amongst people I know they play. A neighbour in her 60s is still in a net ball team! My daughter 20s is in a netball team and plays another sport of England. I do something active most days although not a team sport. I sing every day too.

[Lweji]

But there it is people equating physical activity and health with sports. Particularly team sports.

You don't have to do sports to be healthy or physically active. You can walk a lot, take stairs instead of escalators or lifts, cycle to places, do housework, gardening, grow veg, dance, you can actively play with your children or your dogs or your friends.

In fact, most people I know who do or have done sports, particularly team sports, have some sort of injury and damage to joints, muscles or tendons.

Living healthily means having an active lifestyle, not necessarily to do sports. And in fact it may be healthier not to actually "do sports", at least not to a competitive level.

[KittiesInsane]

DS plays tuba. Physical and musical workout in one vast package. Job done.