Everyone knows playing an instrument can be fun and rewarding, right? Well...everyone except those who don't know it, yet. But you're not one of them, because you're reading this.
Music is one of those experiences that stimulates our analytical mind. But it also moves our emotions. And, new research, showing us even more amazing things about the power of music.
For example,
- Listening to music activates more areas of the brain than any other activity. Your brain analyzes the melody, harmony, and rhythm in a split second, putting it all back together almost instantly to form your opinion and elicit a response.
- When people make music, this happens on an even larger scale. Every area of your brain is activated at once - visual, auditory, and motor processes are all interpreting information and issuing commands in an interrelated way.
PLUS, the more the brain is exercises like this way, the better it gets at doing it! And, this ability transfers to other activities than music. Because the brain develops new and faster ways to transfer and share information, musicians tend to become more creative problem solvers. They also gain new executive functions - skills for making decisions and judgments - faster, and with greater confidence and reliability.
There's never been a better reason to learn an instrument!
Students who study school music benefit as much as adults!
Check out this great video about how playing an instrument benefits your brain!