Music Making is not leisure, nor a hobby, nor a job. It's something I do to express myself as a human being. It has to do with following my own internal direction and I'm not concerned with any external measurement of what that is.   Just an average person quoted from The Oxford Handbook of Music Making and Leisure

Going back to 1943, Maslow's Theory - that the general progression of pursuits for people once survival and comfort are assured into the spiritual, are into the creative and or intellectual.   For months, even years, I've been writing and posting about the benefits of music, but have skirted around the concept of the deep internal need to express ourselves.  With the change of lifestyle in recent times for the majority of us, there's a vast space to fill for some of us of introspection, sounding inner thoughts, for ourself, and filling our hearts and homes with music.

Einstein once said: “Life without playing music is inconceivable to me. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music... I get most joy in life out of music”. 

We've talked dozens of times about the benefits of making music.  My recent blog highlighted ten benefits.  They all skirt around the issue of self realization in making music and several seem like benefits of the self realization a person finds.

Even for children, it seems like a spark is added to their little spirits when they find an affinity for playing an instrument or singing.  Supporting and maintaining this connection will help bring more resonance and positive vibrations all around.

10 Benefits - those related to self expression are noted: 

1.  Playing an instrument makes you smarter - not related to self expression

2. Your social life will improve - not related to self expression

3. Playing an instrument relieves stress - not related to self expression, indirectly related as if you are expressing yourself, you would probably have lower stress

4. Playing an instrument gives you a sense of achievement - not exactly self expression

5. It builds your confidence - not exactly self expression

6. Practising a musical instrument improves patience - not exactly self expression

7. It helps improve your memory - not exactly self expressiong

8. It increases discipline and time management skills - not exactly self expression

9. Playing music makes you more creative - when you are self actualized you are probably more creative, but not necessarily

10. Playing music is fun! - not self actualization...

I'd say that several of these are bi products of finding self actualization in music making.

 Bibliography

1.  Oxford Handbook of Music Making and Leisure

2.  Whatis https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Maslows-hierarchy-of-needs

3.  classicfm https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/reasons-to-play-a-musical-instrument/