Every one who has tried to learn a musical instrument knows that it’s no cakewalk. It takes a lot of effort and the development of a range of skills including hearing, perception, coordination, focus, and memory.
Several recent studies strongly suggest that effort pays benefits even beyond the joy and satisfaction of playing and listening to music. It seems that music lessons in childhood lead to positive changes in the brain that last long after lessons stop. And people who continue to play music experience improved brain function through old age.
A few examples: when children are learning music their work on auditory skills sharpens their perception of sound, and therefore strengthens language skills. And the development of attention and memory skills that occurs through learning an instrument improves overall scholastic ability.
All of you geezers (and potential geezers – that’s right, more or less everyone) may also be interested to know that although musicians experience just as much age-related hearing loss as non-musicians, their enhanced brain functioning helps them understand speech despite that loss. Playing and learning music helps retain brain “plasticity”, the ability to continually reorganize neural pathways to maximize existing brain function and compensate for lost function. Good news indeed.
Here’s a link to more in-depth article on the subject in the New York Times.
© 2013 Brenna Method