Under Construction @ Keele 2016 Volume 1 Issue 1 | Page 43

33
!

can be done anywhere, without the disadvantage of disturbing others as it is a quiet
activity.17
Hand-knitting and engaging in music both hold life skills that are transferable
to other areas in life such as patience, willpower, persistence, planning and timemanagement, via the processes of learning to perform a piece of music or knitting a
product. Two contradictory but very valuable life lessons about mistakes can be
learnt from knitting and performing a piece of music. In knitting, mistakes can be
undone. They are not disastrous, the end result remains achievable and diversions
made as a result of the mistakes may even enrich the final product. On the other
hand, in a musical performance mistakes cannot be undone. The music does not
stop and continues till the end regardless of any mistake that happened. Engaging in
music and hand-knitting both stimulate confidence in trying out new skills and
activities that individuals would not otherwise attempt.18 Other examples include
gardening, cooking, DIY (Do-It-Yourself tasks), computer skills, various crafts,
learning other instruments, redecorating the house, building furniture and additional
items. There is a rhythmic accompaniment present in both musical engagement and
hand-knitting which in turn develops physical skills such as motor-co-ordination in
individuals.19 Similarly, improved mathematic skills are evident in individuals who
engage with music, arts, and hand-knitting.20
According to Tubbs and Drake, through the successive completion of a solid
activity (piece of knitting or learning to perform a piece of music or learning to sing)
by a step by step process, the individual gains emotional strength which
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
17

Turney (2009); Gillow and Sentence (1999); J. Harris, ‘Knitting,’ in J. Harris ed. 5000 Years of
Textiles (London: British Museum Press 2004) 46-48.
18
S. Dillon, ‘Assessing the positive influence of music activities in community development
programs,’ Music Education Research, 8.2 (2006): 267-280; Perkins and Willamon (2013); Creech et
al. (2013); Riley (2013); Corkhill et al. (2014).
19
Corkhill et al (2014); S. Pöllänen, ‘Elements of Crafts that Enhance Well-Being: Textile Craft
Makers' Descriptions of Their Leisure Activity,’ Journal of Leisure Research, 47.1 (2015): 58; G.
Schlaug, et al., ‘Effects of music training on the child's brain and cognitive development,’ Annals of the
New York Academy of Sciences 1060.1 (2005): 219-230; V. Derri, et al., ‘Effect of a music and
movement programme on development of locomotor skills by children 4 to 6 years of age,’ European
Journal of Physical Education 6.1 (2001):16-25.
20
S. Hallam, ‘The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of
children and young people,’ International Journal of Music Education 28.3 (2010): 269-289; N.
Geoghegan and M. Mitchelmore, ‘Possible Effects of Early Childhood Music on Mathematical
Achievement,’ Australian Research in Early Childhood Education 1.1 (1996); J. A. Haley, ‘The
relationship between instrumental music instruction and academic achievement in fourth-grade
students’ ETD Collection for Pace University, paper AAI3026550 (2001); M. F. Gardiner et al.,
‘Learning improved by arts training,’ Nature 381.2 (1996): 281; Corkhill (2014).