The benefits of playing an instrument… Surprising!!!

Regular practice improves language skills, memory, behavior, or spatial intelligence…

During the last decade, research with professional musicians for the study of brain plasticity has become widespread.

The reason seems clear: to achieve a great speed in the fingers, a musician needs a great mental training.

A study several years ago concluded that a good pianist or violinist can practice 7,500 hours before the age of 18.

The works elaborated with this group seem to verify the benefits that experience the cerebral physiology when one learns to play an instrument.

Lutz Jäncke, a professor at the Zurich Institute of Technology (Switzerland), has collected most of the studies on the website “Faculty of 1000″”, where more than 2,000 relevant scientists give their opinion on the main scientific research.

Music therapy

The regions of the brain involved in music processing are also needed for other tasks, such as memory or language skills. ´

Therefore, “if music has a strong influence on brain plasticity, it is possible that this same effect can be used to improve cognitive performance,” says Jäncke.

For this reason, he proposes learning to play an instrument as neurocognitive therapy. One of the most important studies in this regard was carried out by Teppo Sarkamo, a neurologist at the University of Helsinki, in 2008.

In it, he tried to examine whether listening to music on a daily basis increased the chances of recovering neurocognitive and mood functions after a stroke.

The results showed a significant improvement in verbal memory recovery and attention span.

There was also a substantial improvement in mood. According to Jäncke, music can be used as a non-invasive tool for neurological therapies. Music training may also improve reading and writing skills, more so if used with dyslexic children.

All the advantages

In addition to the physiological benefits cited above, the practice of touching improves the mood of children and their relationship with others. Carolyn Phillips, executive director of the Norwalk Symphony Youth, is the author of “Twelve Benefits of Music Education,” where she lists the global advantages of music.

On the individual level, playing an instrument turns the player into a methodical person who takes care of details (otherwise, it doesn’t sound good), plans tasks well and is very attentive.

This behavior can be transferred to the student’s own work, to whom quality and results are demanded.

Music is a means of expression, and a consequence of this is good self-esteem.

It teaches young people to overcome fear and take risks, it provides security and self-confidence.

If you are part of an orchestra or group, practice improves teamwork (to achieve a single goal) and discipline: for an orchestra to sound good, the whole must work in harmony.

MY FIRST MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

Children go through a period in which melody and noise are the same: a simple sound effect.

In this learning, any percussion instrument is their favorite, and any element is susceptible to being a drum.

Psychologist Jean Piaget assures us that at this moment the child is faced with an object of curiosity to be discovered.

But there comes a time when the child if he shows an interest in music, will want to go further.

The best age to start studying music, with a “real” instrument, is from the age of five.

However, parents are not recommended to impose this learning and it is advised that it is the child himself who chooses the instrument he wants to learn to play, even though the piano and the flute are the two that demand the least from children of this age.

If it is decided to hire a teacher, it is essential that the teacher has previous experience with very young children, as learning differs from that of adults.

The most appropriate teaching for these ages takes advantage of the imagination and spontaneity of the child, instead of imposing a closed discipline, with the aim that the classes become a session of games with music and movement, not a compulsory task.

Learning to play an instrument is one of the most legal things you will ever do. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting school, I decided that if you want to play in a band or choose to learn music now that children are growing up, make it a fun and very rewarding learning experience. If you still don’t know what you want to play, that’s great: the possibilities are unlimited