28 February 2021 Yes, Playing Piano Can Give You Better Health

Yes, Playing Piano Can Give You Better Health

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Why do you like to play the piano? Do you enjoy making music? Do you love the familiarity of the practice? 

According to many medical facilities, there’s an additional reason you should play the piano: for better health. What can playing the piano regularly do for your health?

Better motor skills

To play the piano well means using a variety of different skills all at the same time. Your left hand moves in one way while the other creates an entirely different sound. Your eyes follow notes on sheet music while your brain puts everything together. A young child will use this process to refine movement and focus, while a person reaching their later years can use the same process to keep their skills honed and well refined. 

Better reasoning and comprehension

Studies consistently show that people with years of piano practice do better on tests, and have a higher IQ. Focus on producing music and refining your practice approach equip you throughout life for better ways of thinking and communicating to those around you. 

Better stress relief

We live in challenging times. You can’t go through a day without hearing more about self-care and how important stress relief activities can be for your well-being. Playing the piano can accomplish that throughout your life, whether it’s to help you remain calm before an important test, or fight off heart disease when you’re older. 

Better memory

There are many medical issues we worry about as we age: heart disease and memory issues, to name just a few. Playing the piano and making music has been shown to improve memory power and reduce the chances of debilitating diseases like dementia. Even when patients with dementia sit down to play, it’s been shown to help reduce anxiety and access memories that can help with communication. In short, playing the piano can help with speech and language all throughout your life. 

If you’re looking for a hobby that can make a difference in your life, throughout your life, look no further than the piano. Start playing the piano today, do it for better health tomorrow. 

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25 April 2018 Playing Piano and Brain Function

Playing Piano and Brain Function

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Music has a kind of magic to it. Even if you hear a song you haven’t heard in years, you can tap your toes to the beat and sing along as if you learned it yesterday. We carry music in our hearts for our whole lives. 

Music also has the power to tap directly into our imaginations. We’re just learning how music can directly impact us to make us smarter, healthier, even happier. And while hearing music can do all this and more, new evidence is also suggesting that learning to play an instrument can increase your cognitive function. That could help with everything from increasing your planning skills to helping reduce anxiety. Playing Piano and Brain Function

What can it do for you?

Piano Players Are Multitaskers

Learning to play the piano puts your brain into overdrive. Many different levels of brain power are needed to sight read the music, put both hands into action with different movements, follow pitch, form chords, maintain posture, control your breath, and tap your toes to operate the pedals. Think of this as a workout for your brain!

Piano Players Build Brain Power

The mental demands of playing are so significant, a piano player’s brain is structured differently than a person’s who doesn’t play. Piano playing strengthens the bridge between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, making the frontal lobe connections more efficient. That boosts problem-solving, language, and decision-making skills. 

Piano Players Are More Likely To Think Outside The Box

If you look at one of the top qualities employers look for in an employee, it’s the ability to think outside the box. Piano players are innately proficient at creative thinking, and are more likely to be able to come up with new solutions to open-ended questions. Piano players literally think about complex problems differently, so they come up with more creative solutions. 

Think this only happens when you’re young? Think again. Studies have shown that learning to play the piano can help with cognitive abilities no matter what age you pick up the practice. 

If you’re interested in learning to play the piano, we can help you with your first step. 

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10 August 2017 Piano or Sports, Which Is Better For Your Kids?

Piano or Sports, Which Is Better For Your Kids?

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For a few years in a child’s life, parents run through the activity list as if it were a marathon. A busy child is a safe and happy child. They can’t get into as much trouble if they are active. And if they’re with friends, they’ll enjoy the activities they are in. 

So as a parent, we try a little bit of everything. T-ball. Gymnastics. Swimming. Soccer. 

What about piano? Piano or Sports, Which Is Better For Your Kids?

The piano is the ultimate instrument in terms of skill and demand. It requires two hands playing together simultaneously while navigating 88 keys. At any given time, two hands can play up to 10 notes at a time. All of those options require the brain to think in a unique way. 

Pianists have to overcome something innate in all of us: the ability to use both left and right hands equally. In most people, we have a dominant hand that we favor throughout the day. Pianists have a demonstrably more symmetrical brain than others when put to the test, possibly because they continually build their brain muscles by putting the two together on a frequent basis. 

Studies show that the more experience a piano player gains, the more efficient their brain becomes. That means a person who plays regularly can be more effective as improvisation skills needed to navigate the day, including problem solving, language, spontaneity, and decision making tactics. Pianists tend to integrate all of the brain’s intake and make more efficient decisions in the process. 

It doesn’t stop there. 

Trained pianists work every day with a complex instrument that taxes the whole brain. Scans show that the longer they play, the more efficient the blood flow becomes as it moves into the brain. Less blood flow means less energy is needed to accomplish the same tasks – to concentrate, to perform certain tasks. When less blood flow is needed in one area, it increases the ability to send blood to other areas. It allows other areas to remain active and engaged at the same time. It can completely change communication skills because it allows the brain to respond in different ways. 

That gives the brain more energy to multi-task and to jump into different situations with less doubt and hesitation. 

While there is a need to keep kids bodies healthy and active through exercise, the same can be said for keeping their brains healthy by giving it an activity that can help them develop and become smarter over time. 

Maybe it’s time to encourage them to play the piano. 

Filed Under: Piano Music, Piano Playing Tagged With:
24 June 2016 Why Piano Wires Brains Differently

Why Piano Wires Brains Differently

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Playing an instrument has many benefits. Science continually is proving the good that comes from introducing music into your life from a very young age.

But is there a difference between instruments? Does playing a drum have the same benefits as playing piano? Evidence is consistently showing that piano is different.Why Piano Wires Brains Differently

Piano is the ultimate instrument when it comes to skill. It takes two hands working simultaneously together while navigating 88 separate keys. A piano player can play up to 10 notes at a time, creating a mirage of sounds independently based on which note they press.

Because a piano player must use both hands equally, they have to overcome right of left-handedness. In most people’s brains, they invariably show domination on one side or the other. But in pianists, the higher the level of playing, the more demonstrable their symmetry is. Because they consistently use both hands equally, they strengthen both sides of the brain on a regular basis. Meaning they reduce domination in one side over the other.

The frontal lobe is responsible for decision making. It has a minor role in problem solving, language, and social behavior. Because all parts of the brain are more equal, each of these skills is called upon throughout the day. Pianists integrate all areas of the brain more efficiently, and can tap into spontaneous creativity when applying it to daily tasks.

When piano players play, blood pumps to each region of the brain more than average. It helps refine motor skills, making the entire thinking process easier. More blood flow means less energy is needed to concentrate. And more of what we do every day comes naturally. Like creative and purposeful interaction. Better communication. Better multi-tasking.

And the good news is it doesn’t matter when you begin. Give your child the gift of piano when they’re young, or take up piano as a hobby as you head into retirement. Either will give you every advantage of improving your brain.

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23 January 2016 So You Want To Play Piano In A Band

So You Want To Play Piano In A Band

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Your teen has been hinting around they want to start playing the piano. It could be they want to play in a band.

Being in a band is cool. They envision themselves as the next member of Rolling Stones. But before they ever head out on tour, music has to become a part of their lives.So You Want To Play Piano In A Band

Playing piano in a band is different than playing for yourself. You have to rethink the way you play.

Rarely will you be playing things you learned, and instead will be making things up as you go along. You improvise. You invent.

Which means the art of playing comes to be. You start thinking as a “we” rather than a “me”. You have to compliment every other member of the band in order to create a sound that works together.

Because of the wide variety of sounds on a digital keyboard, they are often tasked with creating many different sounds. Learning traditional piano is important, but it also becomes beneficial to understand how to incorporate other sounds as well. The challenge is to play those parts as if you are the other instrument, not as if you are a solo pianist.

It takes training.

It takes practice.

If you are playing like a guitarist, you have to build chords like a guitarist. If you are playing like a horn player, you can’t play multiple notes at the same time.

You also have to be a better listener, a better ear player. Like any skill, the more you do it, the better you will become. Playing by ear is often called upon whether mimicking popular music, or creating new sounds. Chords come together and compliment each other throughout the song. As you listen to others, it becomes easier to implement your own ideas.

Is your teen ready to start up a band? The first step may be to get them into music. A quality digital piano is the best place to start. Stop by today and we can help you find the perfect instrument.

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