Inside Scoop: Here’s how you can train your brain, reduce stress & anxiety as well as improve memory by playing a music instrument.

This post was submitted by Curtis Dean, writer on behalf of Sage Music School where they base lessons on the science and research of the psychology of learning.

Brain training has become quite popular and controversial in recent times. As it happens, the multimillion-dollar industry is under attack right now. This is because many “brain training” products and platforms like games and apps have been found to have little impact on the users’ and customers’ end.

That hasn’t killed the demand though as people are continuously looking to improve their focus and memory as well as reduce the stress they’re exposed to daily using mindful and natural ways.

While brain training apps and games may have failed many people to improve the capacities and functionalities of their brains, experts are claiming that there are other platforms and activities that could effectively train your brain. And based on general reception, music plays a huge role in these claims.

The Connection Between Music and the Brain

Music is all around us. It has been a part of everyone’s life since ancient times. While it was utilized as entertainment at first, recent studies suggest that music offers a lot more benefits to humans than just being a form of entertainment.

According to The Tabernacle, music does a lot of good things for the brain. It “stimulates” the brain in a very powerful way. As a result, the impacts are deemed positive and beneficial. This is why music has been also deemed to improve the overall quality of life.

With these notions at hand, many parents send their kids to music lessons as young as possible. The reason being is that music affects the brain further when all of its parts and sequences are understood. And the best way to understand and comprehend music is to learn more about it through the use of musical instruments.

Train Your Brain: The Benefits of Playing Musical Instruments

Brain training can be done in a lot of ways. But, in terms of music, studies show that learning and playing musical instruments is like training the brain to obtain its optimum potential.

Here are some of the points that you may want to ponder on as to why playing musical instruments is a very effective way to train your brain:

Playing Musical Instrument Engages Many Areas of The Brain

One of the most apparent reasons why playing musical instruments is like training your brain is because of the fact that it engages many areas of the brain. As per experts, learning to play music instruments, like the flute, guitar, and piano allows the brain to practice its functions and even enhance its abilities. 

Recently, an expert described playing an instrument as a source of “fireworks” inside the brain. As it happens, it is found that many aspects of the mind “light up” like fireworks, including especially the visual, auditory, and motor cortices. This will then be applied to various day-to-day activities allowing the person to enhance skills and performance.

Children Who Received Music Training Display Superior Reading Skills

Reading skills, along with its “subskills”, vocabulary and verbal sequencing, have been classified as factors to further learning and comprehension. By enhancing these aspects, an individual is believed to achieve much better analysis and comprehension of different kinds of subjects. So, it is very essential for one to improve these skills, especially for the young ones.

As per M Piro and Ortiz, who are authors from Long Island University, children who enter music programs are seen to display superior reading skills. And, aside from the primary reading skills, they also exhibit improvements on the subskills, which further help them, especially with their cognitive functions and abilities.

Trained Musicians Can Process Multiple Things At Once

Trained musicians are very knowledgeable when it comes to music. Quite obviously, they possess a certain level of understanding of music that is not widely obtained by everyone. Based on assertions, these musicians are found to process multiple things at once. And this is quite evident, especially when arranging a musical composition or performance. 

The multiple processing of information and data are believed to have become apparent upon learning how to play a musical instrument. As claimed by Pacific Standard Magazine, trained musicians are seen to pick up quickly on “task switching” because of their skills involving music.

Playing An Instrument Reduces Stress And Anxiety

Training your brain is not only focused on inheriting information to enhance performance and skills. As it happens, it also involves the overall state of the mind.

When you are stressed, anxious, or feeling sad, the tendency is that you will lose the focus and concentration on receiving and processing data or information. And when this happens, the chance to improve and train the brain decreases.

Thankfully, though, playing musical instruments is found to reduce stress. In fact, this is the reason why music therapy is now widely utilized by many organizations and institutions.

Learning An Instrument Strengthens Memory

One of the benefits of learning and playing musical instruments is apparently increasing the grey matter in many regions of the brain. As claimed by experts, playing musical instruments and creating music are very “complex” experiences that allow the brain to enhance its functions and capabilities, especially the regions involving memories.

This is why guitar lessons and piano lessons are very much utilized in many memory care facilities as these activities show significant impact on people who are living with dementia and other memory-related conditions.

Enhance Verbal Memory, Spatial Reasoning And Literacy Skills

Aside from enhancing memory, reducing stress, and improving reading skills, playing musical instruments is also found to enhance other skills including verbal memory, spatial reasoning, and other literacy capabilities. Based on research, learning music is a good platform for cognitive development.

This is why kids are very much recommended to attend music programs and lessons as their brains are seen to progress much further than those who did not have any musical background.

In conclusion, music offers a lot of benefits to the brain, along with its developments. But, learning and playing musical instruments are found to provide a much better platform for the brain as its benefits point that it can naturally train the brain for further enhancement and improvement.

If you are still unsure of how music and playing musical instruments can do it to each and every individual, these points of benefits might help you understand the process and perhaps get you to pick up a new hobby along the way!

Curtis Dean

Curtis Dean writes on behalf of Sage Music School where they base lessons on the science and research of the psychology of learning. Their effective teaching methods create confident and capable students who enjoy the happiness of making music.