Want a full body workout? Play the piano! It seems obvious: sensory
processing, motor control, hand-eye coordination, mental concentration, mental
agility, and multitasking. It also builds mental and muscle memory.
Three parts of the brain particularly benefit from piano
playing: the motion, visual and auditory cortices. Both sides of the brain and
the bridge between those two sides are involved. It has been found that musicians’
brains can be larger structurally: attention, hearing and listening, emotion, memory,
motor actions to produce sound, and learning.
Brain-related reading skills specifically improve with piano
playing. Notes constitute a universal and unique language, which necessitate decoding
just as alphabetic-based languages do. Beyond reading letters, notes reading is
translated into hand motions. Each language has its own rhythm, which can be
facilitated through music as composers optimally link oral language with musical
rhythm. Indeed, when playing songs in different languages, the performer can cognitively
and kinesthetically internalize those language-specific characteristics.
Likewise, mathematical thinking improves with piano playing.
Music theory is mathematically-based in notes and rhythm. The brain processes the combinations and sequencing
of those elements, which reflect mathematical patterns.
All ages benefit, even in terms of brain plasticity (making more
connections between neurons and creating new circuits, for instance) with
consistent piano practice. Such practice also activates creative areas of the
brain, facilitating original expression.
Taking piano lessons ramps up the impact of the brain even
more: improving reading, expanding vocabulary, interpreting oral prosody emotionally,
discerning sounds more subtly, and sequencing verbal information.
In short, playing the piano is a smart idea!
