Are you thinking about learning drums? There are several excellent reasons for both adults and children to learn drums. Here, Philadelphia, PA teacher Andrea I. shares the top 10 benefits of drumming…
What Are The Benefits of Learning Drums?
Are you on the fence about drumming? Maybe you’re trying to decide between a few different instruments. Let’s take a look at what the research says about the top reasons to play drums.
- Reduce stress
- Increase academic performance
- Boost brain power
- Develop confidence
- Improve communication skills
- Be a global citizen
- Make new friends
- Play cool instruments
- Get fit
- Lifelong learning
1. Reduce Stress
Playing drums can relieve frustration, disappointment, and stress. Whether you’re behind a drum set, hitting a djembe in a drum circle, or beating a marching band bass drum, drum therapy is a real thing. Even for just a few minutes, playing drums can boost your mood.
Like a “runner’s high,” drummers’ brains release feel-good endorphins immediately after playing music. Researchers concluded in the online journal Evolutionary Psychology, “it is the active performance of music that generates the endorphin high, not the music itself.”
So if you’re trying to find a new hobby that brings you more joy, grab some drumsticks and start learning drums!
2. Increase Academic Performance
The correlation between musical training and academic performance has been documented several times, particularly when it comes to English and math. When you learn drums, you can grow various academic skills like English because drumming helps you identify emotional cues, a skill you can use to identify characters’ thought processes and motives.
According to this study, “Music enables students to learn multiplication tables and math formulas more easily (T. Mickela as cited in Kelstrom, 1998); rhythm students learn the concept of fractions more easily; students who were taught using rhythm notation scored 100 percent higher on tests of fractions; and a child may use the ability for logical thinking that was developed in music class to solve problems quite unrelated to music (Kelstrom, 1998).”
So parents, if you’re hesitant about your child learning drums because you’re afraid it will take away from their studies, rest assured. It may actually help your son or daughter perform better in school.
3. Boost Brain Power
When you play drums, you have to coordinate all four limbs to work together simultaneously. If you’re right-handed, chances are you don’t do much with your left hand. Your brain has to work your non-dominant side to strengthen and coordinate your non-dominant limbs.
In a recent study, researchers found that playing drums can measurably boost brain power, specifically when it comes to IQ. “Playing the drums makes the brain think in a way that very few activities can,” said Pat Brown, International Drum Month chairman, and Percussion Marketing Council co-executive director. “Being able to understand musical notes and dissect how rhythms work and go together is a very complicated thought process. The most recent study shows that being constantly exposed to this type of brain activity can actually improve one’s IQ level.”
4. Develop Confidence
One of our favorite benefits of drumming is that it can help you develop or build your confidence. Drumming is powerful. To be successful, drummers must learn to play dynamically: loud and soft. The act of playing a loud beat takes guts and conviction. In addition, learning drums requires a growth mindset. You must believe that you can understand complex drum patterns by starting slow and breaking them down.
Drumming challenges you to break complex tasks into manageable parts. Then, after persistent practice, you’re able to play something more challenging. This is a skill that carries over in many aspects of life. Believing you can learn complex material is crucial to overcoming obstacles of all kinds.
5. Improve Communication Skills
Students with musical training communicate better with peers, are more empathetic, and get lots of practice expressing ideas without using words. Drumming also teaches you to read non-verbal cues, which can help you learn to read between the lines in terms of communicating with others.
6. Be a Global Citizen
Drumming can expand your world! Whether you’re learning Latin bossa nova, Afro-Cuban clave, or Jamaican reggae, you can grow as a musician and a person as you learn about musical traditions from all over the world.
Traveling far and wide isn’t always possible. However, it’s fascinating to see how new styles of music develop over time as cultures merged their traditional styles together.
7. Make New Friends
Looking to grow your friend group? If you learn drums, you’ll be able to talk drums with new people who are also drummers. With lots of opportunities to form your own band or join an orchestra, marching band, drum circle, or percussion ensemble, you’ll have many options to meet new and exciting people.
8. Play Cool Instruments
Learning drums gives you the foundation to play various instruments: djembe drums, congas, clave, marching bass drums, triangle – even typewriters, spoons, and buckets.
A percussionist’s bag of toys is endless, and part of the fun is discovering new sounds to play.
9. Get Fit
One hardy drumming session is a great way to get your sweat on while having fun. According to one study, “Just by using hand drums and moving to the beat, people burned an average of 270.4 calories in a half-hour.”
In addition to the calorie burn, rhythmic performance can significantly impact stress reduction and wellness.
10. Lifelong Learning
One last reason to why play drums? You can do it at any age! Once you start, you can keep drumming as long as you want. Playing drums will enhance your life well beyond your first few lessons. As long as you never stop learning, you’ll have endless opportunities to improve, perform, and be the best musician you can be.
Ready to get started? Search here for a drum instructor near you!
Post Author: Andrea I.Andrea I. is a Philadelphia-based English teacher with a lifelong obsession with drums. She has taught drums with Girls Rock Philly, a rock ‘n’ roll camp for girls, and played in various bands. She currently teaches online and in-home lessons in Philadelphia, PA. Learn more about Andrea here!
Photo by laurentmorand
I have always been fascinated with drums. I just love the sounds and I can just imagine the awesome feeling while playing them. Fascinating!
Love this article! I’ve definitely experienced these. Hope you don’t mind me linking this on my blog.
Go for it, Nikol! Glad you enjoyed the article.
All the drummers in the pics are boys/men. 🙁
Great post
I resonated with what this drumming article said. I have been a student of drumming and a drummer for 53 years. I’ve never stopped practicing and playing them because I feel most alive and creative when I do so. I’ve had the opportunities to play with some world class jazz musicians and other very talented players. They bring me joy and an outlet to explore and create music I love.
It got me when you said that playing drums will be able to make a person fit. As you mentioned, a study shows that 270.4 calories are burned in half an hour when playing with just the hand drum. I can just imagine how many calories will be burned if you play the whole thing. Since I wanted to be fit, I think I might start undergoing a lesson for drums. I think I will really have fun with this instrument because I am kind of musically inclined. Thanks for the information!
I like how you mentioned that learning how to play the drums can actually help you develop confidence because it’s a very dynamic and loud instrument, and it takes confidence to learn challenging music. My son is wanting to learn how to play the drums, but my husband and I aren’t sure if it would be worth it for him. After reading this article, we’ll have to look for a reliable drum lessons business in our area so that he can get started on learning to play the drums and increase his confidence, a skill that I believe he can use throughout his life.
I love drumming. And your content are also more inspired me to learn drum.
Thank you for sharing us!
My brother always wanted to learn how to play drums, he thinks is the coolest instrument ever invented. I did not know that playing drums can boost brain power in a measurable way, specifically when it comes to IQ. Thanks for sharing your article, I’m sure that my brother will love to read it.