Now days there are shortcuts to almost everything, including improved brain functionality… download the latest brain teaser app on your smartphone and just keep playing the games… easy right?
But what about taking the time to learn something as wonderful as playing a musical instrument? Investing the time to this beautiful process has many wonderful benefits.
Learning to play music can have a strong influence on the actual structure of the brain. Through the emotional connection to the music we play, our brain is stimulated in new ways. Three of our five senses, touch, hearing and visual, are engaged. Also, our fine motor skills are honed. Over a prolonged period, these complex experiences promote lasting changes in the brain
But how does our brain change? It is known that in musicians the nerve bundle that connects the two sides of the brain, is larger. The areas of the brain associated with movement, hearing, visio-spatial and touch are increased in musicians.
This leads to long term benefits to the brain from learning a musical instrument. Not only are there increased connections between both sides of the brain, it enhances literacy skills, spatial reasoning and language memory.
As far as brain training goes, learning to play a musical instrument is the foremost way to strengthen memory and language through its very strong cognitive stimulus. Not to mention the bonus of being part of an amazing tradition in the arts that has shaped our culture over the generations. So sign up now at Learn2Play Music. Long live music.