Musical New Year’s resolutions

Happy New Year!

A fresh start in January usually brings one thing to mind – New Year’s resolutions. If you’re not sure what yours are yet, how about resolving to get more involved in playing, creating, or learning about music?

Here are ten ideas to help you can get started…

1. Start singing. Singing can benefit everyone’s health and well-being in numerous ways. Try following the steps in my blog post, ‘Start singing’, to learn how to warm up and get started.

2. Join a choir. The benefits of singing are enhanced even further when you sing with others. Joining a choir is a great way to meet new people and become part of a team. It’s also a brilliant way of getting into the habit of singing regularly. Try investigating community choirs in your local area.

3. Learn to play an instrument (or a new instrument, if you already play one). If you are thinking of learning some new skills this year, what better way to start than to learn to play a musical instrument? Playing music has a number of positive effects on the brain*, in addition to the numerous skills that are acquired – and benefits that are felt – when one plays music. Make sure you find a teacher to help you.

4. Learn to play the piano. If you are trying to decide which instrument to learn, how about the piano? You only need to take a look at my blog post, ‘10 reasons to play the piano’, to see what a fantastic instrument it is! Please complete the contact form if you would like to get in touch about taking lessons.

5. Start playing the ukulele and join a group. If you are interested in making music with others, the ukulele is a great place to start. Read my blog post, ‘Reasons to love the ukulele’, to learn about why it’s such a brilliant instrument. It’s easy to learn, and you can start playing with others almost immediately. Keep an eye out for beginner ukulele groups in your local area.

6. Explore some new music. Try exploring some new music that you are unfamiliar with. SoundCloud is a great place to discover new music.

7. Go to a concert (or many concerts). Another means of discovering new or unfamiliar music, and supporting live music at the same time, is to go to a concert. Try looking up gigs by local musicians to support your local music scene.

8. Write a song. Try exercising your musical creativity by writing your own song. If you’re not sure where to start, Future Learn (www.futurelearn.com) is running an online course that will help you get started.

9. Try composing. Have a go at creating your own music using a music application, such as Apple’s GarageBand for iOS. The GarageBand app is available on the Apple App Store, and it enables you to create your own music using only your iPhone or iPad. Experiment with different sounds to come up with your very own composition.

10. Study an online music course. I have already mentioned the brilliant website Future Learn, which offers a range of courses in a variety of subjects, including a number of music courses. Each course is designed and delivered by a renowned university, via the slick Future Learn platform.