The majority of hobbies can look good on a resume if they are marketed properly. For my next blog post I will be writing about some of the transferable skills that piano players develop that can be added on a resume. My blog topic today will mainly be focused on the early childhood education field. However, these skills can broadly apply to a lot of different career situations.

The first transferable skill that I have learned through playing the piano is musical ability. This skill will be beneficial in my career as a future early childhood educator because I will be able to facilitate learning through music and movement. According to Kate Williams (2018) in the journal article Moving to the Beat: Using music rhythm and movement to enhance self-regulation in early childhood classrooms music exposure especially in group activities enhances a self-regulation, motor and auditory functioning (Williams, 2018). This means that musical ability is a very important skill in the early childhood field because it supports child development across many areas of learning.

The second transferable skill that I have learned through playing piano is time management. Playing the piano has helped me develop time management skills because I have had to juggle college classes, homework, placements, family and friends, and piano practice all while getting enough sleep and eating properly so I can be strong and healthy enough to work with the children and be a good role model for them. Therefore playing the piano along with being a college student and managing my commitments has lead me to becoming very good at time management. This skill will benefit me as a working professional because I will honor my commitments and complete tasks on time.

The third transferable skill I gained by playing the piano is continuous learning. I do not learn because I have to just to pass a course. I learn because of the intrinsic value of learning. Gaining new skills and acquiring new knowledge is something I take pride in. Although I am relatively new to playing the piano (not including childhood) I love learning new things and sharpening my skills. This has been a quality I have possessed before I starting playing the piano. But being self-taught and having to motivate myself to learn it on my own without outside pressure has sharpened my continuous learning skills. Continuous learning is valuable in any work environment because it ensures that an employee always improves through learning. However, it is essential for an early childhood educator to value continuous learning because keeping up with our continuing education is required in order to keep our registration with the College of Early Childhood Educators current with can affect our ability to work legally (College of Early Childhood Educators, 2018). Is is also important to value learning as an early childhood educator because we are in the educational field and if we love learning our children will see our passion for education and hopefully they will love learning to!

References:

College of Early Childhood Educators (2018) “Membership Renewal Guide” College of Early Childhood Educators. CECE: Toronto, ON. Retrieved From: https://www.college-ece.ca/en/Members/membership-renewal-guide

Williams, K.E. (April, 2018) “Moving to the Beat: Using music, rhythm and movement to enhance self-regulation in early childhood classrooms.” International Journal of Early Childhood 50(1) pg 85-100.