Learning to play a musical instrument benefits your brain.
Many studies are showing that learning and practicing a musical instrument may reduce negative affects of aging. This includes memory, cognitive ability and hearing. A study in the July 2012 issue of Frontiers of Human Neuroscience shows that aging older adults who learned an instrument in childhood and continued to play for at least 10 years outperformed others in memory tests and cognitive ability. The musicians in the study scored high on tests of mental acuity, visual-spatial judgment, verbal memory and recall, and motor dexterity. The study also revealed that continuing musical activity during advanced age enhances thinking ability. It’s also valuable to pick up the instrument and start playing again later in life. “Use it or lose it” applies to the brain as well as the rest of the body.
Playing a musical instrument stimulates the brain.
Making music activates links to several parts of the brain because it’ a multisensory experience, similar to learning a new language. Learning and playing an instrument enhances the development of reason, memory, logic, visual shapes, and math and verbal skills.
Why not pick up an instrument you once learned and start practicing – or learn a new instrument? I want to hear how it goes for you.
Check out my book, Music, Healing and Harmony. Music, Healing and Harmony: Sally Fletcher: 9780961551308: Amazon.com: Books