Recently my niece announced that she was learning to play the piano at school and was begging her mum to buy her one for Christmas. I am relieved to say that an electric keyboard was the compromise and she is now practising furiously every lunch time at school so she is ready for her Christmas gift to arrive.

When I was at school I learned the recorder from the age of 7 and played up until age 11. I loved my recorder and my party piece was, and still is, ‘Eye Level’ by the Simon Park Orchestra, which was on the Alton Towers Advert when I was young. Check it out on YouTube – it’s a gorgeous tune.

Numerous cognitive benefits

Of course, learning to play an instrument is not only fun and a great way to socialise, but it has numerous cognitive benefits too:

• Improving memory and listening skills

• Improving hand eye coordination and fine motor skills

• Improving maths, reading and comprehension skills. No really, it’s true!

• Encourages responsibility, perseverance and discipline

• Develops self expression, creativity and artistic passion (my favourite benefit)

• Offers stress relief

Once the basics are acquired, the opportunity for widening the social scene for kids and parents alike begins to blossom. Joining a band, choir, orchestra or community project offers a regular schedule and builds a sense of self that all kids need to guide them through life.

Suddenly they are vital and needed, something many children crave as they struggle through school and peer politics.

With the advent of modern technology, it is but a step into writing and producing music of their own using computer software to create unique sounds to share online. Many a famous face began this way, but even if world musical domination is not in your child’s future, the pure joy and emotional expression of making music, playing instruments and sharing their creations can only be a good thing.

Regardless of who is learning, a musical education can be expensive, so how do you manage if your budget won’t stretch to private lessons?

Choose an easily accessible instrument

Firstly, choose an easily accessible and popular instrument. The guitar is a great place to start, as these can be found second hand or quite cheaply these days, and you might even find that you can offer a loving home to a friend’s guitar that has been gathering dust. Alternatively, look for used instruments for sale in your local Sales Listings.

Next, raid your local charity shops and used book stores to find tab books to guide you through. Whether it is your child or yourself learning, begin with the basics and swallow your pride – everyone begins with ‘Twinkle Twinkle’, there’s no shame!

Now you can dive into YouTube for tutorial videos and learn by watching and practising – which, let’s face it, is what you have been doing since birth, so you’re a natural. Why not get the whole family involved? Who knows, you could be the next big thing?