Rozanne Fuller Middle school music teacher, South Kingstown Rock Middle School in South Kingston, Rhode Island. Mrs. Fuller appreciates the skills that learning to play an instrument can foster in a child – skills like self-discipline, perseverance, and team work. She nurtures these skills in her orchestra members by encouraging students to form ensemble groups and by giving the students opportunities to play for audiences in the school and at senior centers and nursing homes. Seats in Mrs. Fuller’s orchestra are open to all students, regardless of musical experience.

In orchestra, students learn impulse control, to delay gratification, and how to put aside individual preferences in deference to the whole. One student noted that “being in a string quartet has taught me to listen to everyone and that you can’t always have it your way, you have to compromise so that everyone can have what they want.” Students also learn to maintain their attention when learning musical pieces. This skill is transferred to their study habits and school work. “I have found that being in the orchestra taught me to concentrate and formulate steps for solving different kinds of problems better that I was able to in the past,” says another student.

“Being in the orchestra taught me to concentrate and formulate steps for solving different kinds of problems better than I was able to in the past.”

In addition to the more obvious skills gained by children in an orchestra, these children are also able to practice giving and receiving feedback from others on their performances, how to delay gratification, and how to put aside individual preferences for the benefit of the whole. The importance of rehearsal and practice in learning social emotional skills is noted by Elias, Zins, et al. in their book Promoting Social and Emotional Learning17. They note that “rehearsal and practice foster assertiveness, empathy, and socially responsible behavior…”

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.”
- Victor Hugo