Musical attitudes have been changing for the better in recent years all across the nation. In fact, 95% of Americans believe that playing music is critical to a well-rounded education. 97% additionally believe that it will help children appreciate arts and culture, which they believe to be important life skills.
These attitudes are absolutely correct- learning to play music can have a wide variety of benefits in a person's daily life. But what are the benefits of playing music, exactly? Read on to find out.
What Are the Benefits of Playing Music?
Some science-backed benefits of playing music include:
- Proven by Harvard medical researchers to boost both memory and mood (by stimulating the same areas of the brain that process both memory and emotion)
- Helps you to get more in touch with your emotions (hearing and creating music is an expressive and emotional process)
- Provides people with a unique and fun method for self-expression
- Increases blood flow within the brain and keeps it sharp
- Improves skills in linguistics, mathematics, and other subjects requiring critical thinking
How Do You Use Music in Your Daily Life?
Music can be used in your daily life in many different ways. Most Americans stream music in some form or another on a regular basis. They use it as background music for studying, driving, cleaning, or exercising. It therefore plays a major role in everyone's daily life. It also provides you with greater focus while performing these critical activities.
Taking music lessons is another way to enhance your daily life. You will gain an outlet for creative self-expression. Additionally, you will feel accomplished in that you were able to create something beautiful and put it out into the world. To feel even more rewarded, try sharing the pieces that you learn with others at concerts.
What Skills Does Music Develop?
Music helps to develop a multitude of other skills that help in other areas of life. Not only can it improve coordination and fine-tune auditory skills like listening and concentration, but it can also help people to connect with others. Those who study music are more engaged with what others say and are therefore more likely to form emotional connections with others.
People who study music stimulate the left hemisphere of their brains more often and therefore are able to think more creatively. This develops better imagination and intellectual curiosity, which in turn makes you better at critical thinking and problem-solving.
Can Music Make You Smarter?
A study conducted by a senior scientist at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute found that those who play musical instruments (and those who are bilingual) require less brain activity when carrying out tasks than their nonmusical counterparts.
This study analyzed both children and adults and ultimately revealed that musicians remember sounds faster and more accurately than non-musicians. Therefore, learning music can improve your memory and make you smarter.
This makes sense when you consider that both music and memory are processed in the same areas of the brain. Learning music can stimulate the same area of your brain that processes memory and emotion and therefore give you more applicational and emotional intelligence than you otherwise would have.
Begin Reaping the Benefits of Music
Now that you've answered the question "what are the benefits of playing music," it's time to begin getting these benefits for yourself. Contact Mikael to inquire about beginning piano and guitar lessons. Your first lesson will be free and start you on the path towards playing the songs that you love most, so we look forward to you reaching out.
