Even if you are not a composer or songwriter, knowing how to WRITE down music notes and rhythms will really help you READ music more easily. The two skills work together. Knowing how to write a certain note will help you get the concept of what the music is doing. When you are able to physically move a pencil on music paper with the exact motions and create the various shapes of music notes, for example, you will have mastered a way to visualize music. It may even free up your creativity. Imagine what it would be like to get a picture in your mind of a flower you'd like to draw, but not know how to actually draw what was in your mind. After a while, you'd stop having visions of images in your mind. When you first learn to read music is the time to begin to learn to write it down. This will at first seem halting, but soon and with practice you will be able to write down notes and rhythms with confidence, ease and skill.