Learning a Musical Instrument学一门乐器

Alec and Stella are in the band at their school. Alec plays the clarinet and Stella plays the flute. “When I first started to play the flute， it sounded terrible！” says Stella. “My family asked me to practice in the garage because they didnt like the noise.”

Alec and Stella have been playing their instruments for a year now so they sound much better. They are learning more difficult music. “Playing in the band with other kids is a lot of fun，” says Alec.

As well as being fun， many scientists say that learning a musical instrument is good for your brain. It helps children with their reading and math skills. It helps them learn to concentrate. Alec thinks that learning the clarinet has helped him at school. “I have to concentrate when Im practicing，” he says. “And now its easier for me to concentrate on my schoolwork.”

Learning music can also help children become more confident. As Stella says， “The first time I played in front of an audience I was scared. But now I really enjoy it.”

亚历克和斯特拉加入了学校的乐队。亚历克吹单簧管，斯特拉吹长笛。“当我刚开始吹笛子的时候，它听起来很糟糕！”斯特拉说，“我的家人让我在车库里练习，因为他们不喜欢我练习时的噪音。”

亚历克和斯特拉练习乐器已经一年了，所以他们的演奏听起来好多了。他们正在学习更难的音乐。“和其他孩子一起在乐队里演奏很有趣。”亚历克说。

许多科学家说，学一門乐器不仅有趣，而且对大脑有好处。它有助于提高孩子们的阅读和数学技能，有助于他们学会集中注意力。亚历克认为学习单簧管对他在学校的学习有帮助。他说：“我练习的时候必须集中注意力。而现在我更容易集中注意力学习了。”

学习音乐还可以帮助孩子变得更加自信。正如斯特拉所说：“第一次在观众面前表演时，我很害怕。但现在我真的很喜欢。”

Word Bank

band n. 乐队

terrible adj. 拙劣的；令人极不快的

practice v. 练习；训练

confident adj. 自信的

scared adj. 惊慌的；吓坏了的