Music Changes: Deep into the impacts of music on humans.
Music exalts all the benefits it provides.
Even studying for a short time can show significant progress. However, a lifetime connection to the mechanisms of creating music in our bodies makes a real difference in our human potential.
“You can teach an old dog new tricks: in people over the age of 65, after 4 or 5 months of playing a musical instrument for an hour a week, there were big changes in the brain—the parts that control hearing, memory, and the part that controls the hands, among others all become more active. The effects are long-lasting, too: for adults aged 65-80, the more years a person spent playing an instrument, the better they performed on word recall tests, nonverbal memory, and cognitive flexibility. Other results show that playing an instrument can help your IQ increase by seven points.”
Did you know?
Musical training helps develop the specific fine motor skills needed to produce the correct sounds, creating a powerful linkage between sensory and motor mechanisms in the brain.
Through music training, the brain functions that intake new information, store it and recall it, get more potent and fluid, meaning our memory and cognitive skills improve. The minds of music players show to be more active and alert. And it goes beyond neural connections: music serves as the interconnecting line between our brains and bodies, not to mention the soul (if we dare go that far). For now, let's read this quote on the effects of music as it relates to enhanced coordination:
“By reading musical notes on a page, your brain must convert that note into specific motor patterns while also controlling breathing and rhythm. Also, for most instruments, you have to be able to have your fingers and/or limbs each performing different tasks simultaneously. Therefore playing music requires a lot of hand-eye coordination.”
As mentioned before, learning music can be a challenging task that we make super fun, obvs. And all its complexities permeate every corner of our lives, so much so that learning a new instrument helps us understand the relevance of having good time management and organizational skills in life. Musicians need regular practice routines to see progress quickly, stay motivated and be on top of their game.
And if you are still in school, we bear good news: studying music theory expands the understanding of math more dynamically and practically. So get ready to view fractions in a whole new way!
Now we go back to the Soul aspect of this text: At LIVE! School of Music, we believe if we are free beings able to create and express our musicality, our soul is happy. This magical activity of making music and allowing all these connections to form and shape us internally has the power to create communication between the body, the mind, and the spirit. It is a practice that gives equal attention to all three aspects of our existence and makes us aware of their importance.
When a musician is "in the zone," it means "creating with their soul" and without fear; they are one with the sounds they are producing, seemingly without much conscious input. The musician must have practiced their mobility, coordination, and musical technicalities tirelessly to reach a delicate balance of focus and freedom: an active but meditative state. Isn't that what we'd all like to achieve? And even though we might not always recognize it, getting there is the best part; as, with anything else, the process is what matters.
As you can see, it is never too late to get started in music, and there is always a good reason.
