Music and Coding

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Music and coding might seem like 2 pretty unrelated topics. You might even think that if you’re child loves music, they probably woudn’t be into or very good at coding. Or the opposite- that if they love coding, they won’t be into music or good at if they tried. We’ve teamed up with Virtu Academy ( an online private music lesson platform) to take a closer look at music and coding and see all the ways they are related.

While we can’t guarantee coding will make you a great musician, or that learning music helps you be a better coder, there are a lot of similarities between the two. Keep reading to learn how music and coding consist of similar principles and benefits and why learning both is great for kids!

Principles of Music and Coding

Music

When you are first learning to play an instrument, there are some basic fundamentals that are learned, regardless of the instrument. This is includes things like counting, sequencing, reading notes, harmony and melody, and patience.

Counting- counting beats per measure so that you play notes for the correct amount of time
Sequencing- knowing the order of which things come first, second, etc.
Reading notes- recognizing notes visualing, what note they represent, and how to play that note on your instrument/where it is located
Harmony and Melody- how the notes work together to make different parts of a song
Patience- it takes time to learn the basics of music!

Coding

When you are first learning to code, there are also some basic fundamentals that you need to learn, regardless of what coding language you are going to work with or what type of program you want to code. This includes logic, sequencing, sytax, looping, conditionals and patience.

Logic- how to complete a task wth the most effective structure and arrangement
Sequencing- the order in which directions are given
Syntax- learning to read and write in a coding language, and how different instructions work together to create a program
Looping- sequence of instructions that happens continually until a certain condition is reached
Conditionals- conditional statements tell a program to do different things based on whether a condition is true or false (like an if/then statement
Patience- it takes time to learn the basics of coding too!

If you take a closer look, a lot of the fundamentals of music and coding coincide with one another. While the application may be different, many of the principles are the same.

In music and coding, you are basically learning a new language. With both music and coding you need to learn how to read notes (music) or directions (syntax) in order to understand what you need to do (play a note/chord for a certain amount of time, or what the program will do based on your instructions). Sequence (the order of things) is important in both, as well as remembering to have patience while you’re learning!

Being able to read notes and play them, creates a song that everyone can hear. Being able to read and write code allows you to create a program that everyone can use or play. Although music and coding are different, they do share similar principles and they are both creative outlets kids and adults enjoy.

Benefits of Music and Coding

There are several benefits of music and coding. Some you can find in both music and coding, and some are specific to just one. Here are some of the shared benefits of music and coding:

Teamwork/Communication- Musicians often work together to create or play music (band, quartet, symphony, etc.) and coders are often working with a team of developers and other employees to create or improve a program.
Resilience- Learning a new piece of music is often very challenging. When writing code, you often have to go back again and again and again to work out bugs in your program. Learning to overcome these challenges and to not give up develops resilience and the ability to creatively problem solve.
Creativity- Learning to play an instrument gives kids a special way to express themselves, and they might even try to write their own songs. Coding provides a creative outlet for kids to create games, videos, apps or programs straight from their imagination.

Music and Coding Working Together

You may think that even if music and coding share some common principles and benefits, they still are never used together. However, there is one area where coding and music have always worked side by side: Video Games.

Every video game has music, even the ones on the first NES. Choosing music for video games, coding for sounds and songs at different places and events in games is one way music and coding work together all of the time. Game developers need music in their programs. Developers and musicians work together to create different emotions and reactions at different places in video games. You can ‘t have one without the other!

Music and Coding Lessons

Now that you’ve read a little bit about the fundamentals and benefits of music and coding, you may wondering how to find quality music and coding lessons for your child. There are two companies who provide exceptional private lessonsin these areas: Coder Kids and Virtu Academy. The instructors are knowledgeable, professional, and work well with kids. Both companies also work with your child to find out what interests them and build an individualized curriculum around that.

Coder Kids

Coder Kids offers in person and online after school classes, summer camps, and private lessons. Topics for classes, camps and private lessons include coding, gaming, digital arts and web design. Private lessons can be set up for any day of the week and at any time that works for you. Coder Kids offers private lessons for kids in ages from 4 to 18. Learn more about private lessons here.

Virtu Academy

Virtu Academy offers private online music lessons with musicians From Juilliard, Cleveland Orchestra, Met Opera and more. They offer classes in voice and almost any instrument you can imagine. Virtu Academy provides private online music lessons for kids starting at age 4, and continuing on to adults. You can learn more about Virtu Academy here.

Conclusion

While the jury is still out on whether coding actually makes you a better musician or if music actually makes you a better coder, we do know they share some basic principles. The process of learning to code and learning to play an instrument both require learning about sequencing, learning to read notes/coding syntax, putting together notes or coding instructions to create something (a song or program), and, of course, patience!

We also know that learning to play an instrument and learning to code are both great ways to help kids learn to problem solve, be creative, improve their resilience and have fun. Ask your child if they’d like to learn more about coding or music- it may be the beginning of a career, a way to broaden their horizons, or just something fun to do- or maybe all three!