Music has always been an outlet for most of us to express ourselves or even calm our nerves but neurologists have discovered that the benefits of music go far beyond that. With the advancement of new technology such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET), scientists have been able to take a deeper dive into how the brain functions. During a study individuals were asked to carry out different tasks such as doing calculations, reading and memorizing while their brain waves were being monitored to study exactly how the brain reacted towards these stimulants. All the activities seem to have roughly the same brain activity but when music started playing multiple areas of the brain were seen to be lighting up. The brain seemed to react by understanding the sound, deconstructing the melody and rhythm only to later reconstruct it back to form a unified musical experience all in the time span of a split second of having heard the music.
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”
– Plato
Having discovered the tremendous effects of listening to music, scientists started to question the benefits of playing it and to their surprise, the effects were even more evident. It was observed that playing an instrument was equivalent to a full brain workout as all parts of the brain seemed to be working in unison. Every part of the brain seemed to be interlinked and creating astonishingly fast sequences.
Why Does Music Have Such A Positive Impact ?
Playing a musical instrument engages every part of the brain at once especially the visual, auditory and motor cortices. Practice in playing music ends up strengthening said parts of the brain allowing us to excel in various other fields of our life. Playing an instrument at an early age helps aid the development of our motor skills. This is why its advised that kids learn at least one musical instrument as it will ultimately help then to fortify every aspect of their brain for the future
There is a foolish corner in the brain of the wisest man.
– Aristotle
Playing an instrument helps combine the linguistic and mathematical aspects of brain found in the left hemisphere of the brain and the novel and creative aspect of the brain found in the right hemisphere. thus it has been proven that playing music helps increase the volume and activity in the corpus callosum which is the bridge between the two hemispheres, allowing the brain to get across messages faster and through more diverse routes.This allows musicians to solve problems more creatively in an academic or social setting.
Benefits of Playing an Instrument
The music genre we have today is certainly diverse as a lot has changed over the years. We have blasted through so many trends and rhythms but people still find new ways to innovate in this creative space. Some people value music for its lyrical genius while others are a fan of the melody that plays in the background. Regardless of how you want to enjoy the music, at the end of the day the benefits for the musician remain the same. An individual in this industry or anyone with a passion for creating music will be lucky enough to reap the following benefits.
- Strengthens bonds with others
- Strengthens memory and reading skills
- Musicians can process multiple things at once
- Music increases blood flow in your brain
- Music reduces stress and depression
- Music helps the brain recover
“There is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require.”
– Edward Elgar
Its never too late to pick up an instrument and join the crazy world of music. It holds so much benefits and over the years music will be the closest thing we have in our lives. It brings back memories and holds countless stories. Music is the international language that breaks all boundaries. We may speak different languages but music will always be a medium that transcends time and any form of linguistic barrier.
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