From a young age, children are strongly encouraged to learn to play a musical instrument, whether it is the violin or the tuba, to aid in their development as they grow older. Playing an instrument improves cognitive function greatly as it stimulates many areas of the brain, equal to providing a “total brain workout.” Instruments not only improve a player's attitude and work ethic, but the neuroscience behind picking up an instrument can provide insight into a longer list of benefits. Music has been shown to improve brain function and human behavior in a variety of ways, including stress reduction, spatial-temporal learning, and neurogenesis.
Practicing music, both short-term and long-term, has shown to improve cognitive abilities such as attention and inhibition. Music itself is a structure made up of relationships between each note and rhythm while applying technique at the same time, all of which the brain computes to make sense of it. The different beat patterns in music activates both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. The simultaneous left and right brain activity allows for improved learning and retention of information. Information, the elements in sheet music, is being studied in the left brain while the music itself activates the right hemisphere, engaging them both at the same time through neuronal connections and increased signal efficiency. The engagement of both hemispheres of the brain allows musicians to perform better in cognitive tasks compared to non-musicians. Instruments at a young age provide better benefits to developing brains as it can rewire the normal course of neuronal communication and provide elaborate interconnectedness between motor, auditory, sensory, visual, and emotional components of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Improved communication between both hemispheres translates to enriched abilities to solve problems effectively and efficiently while also demonstrating creativity in academic and social settings.
When playing musical instruments, multiple areas of the brain are activated, including the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, Broca's area, occipital lobe, cerebellum, hippocampus, corpus callosum, and the putamen:
The frontal lobe is one of the most important and notable parts of the brain because it is responsible for thinking, decision-making, and planning. Playing an instrument helps to enhance those functions.
The temporal lobe, also a major part of the brain, processes any auditory stimuli and is a human’s language center used to appreciate music and interpret it on both hemispheres.
Broca’s area enables us to produce speech and express music, so the ability to communicate improves by playing an instrument.
The occipital lobe processes what we see, which is a very important factor in playing an instrument as musicians read sheet music. Professional musicians are especially seen using the occipital cortex as they play their music, and even when listening to music, they may visualize a music score.
The cerebellum is responsible for coordinating movement and storing physical memory, another important aspect of musical instruments as coordination is key during the learning process.
The hippocampus produces and retrieves memories and will regulate emotional responses, often considered a central processing unit of the brain. Music can increase neurogenesis in the hippocampus to produce new neurons and improve memory.
The corpus callosum is another very important part in performance as it enables the left and right hemispheres to communicate, aid in coordinated body movement, and stimulate complex thoughts requiring logic from the left hemisphere and intuition from the right hemisphere. Musicians have synchronized right hand and left hand sides, allowing for translations of notes from sheet music to the coordinated movements of the fingers to produce that sound and rhythm.
The putamen processes rhythm and regulates body movement and coordination, ultimately allowing music to increase dopamine in this area and response to rhythm.
Music training promotes neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change throughout life, proven by the Hebbian principle. The more a musician practices and engages in music, neurons firing together occurs constantly resulting in stronger connections. Neuroplasticity does not occur in a single area of the brain with music, and instead engages with all areas of the brain. The occipital lobe may read and interpret pitches or rhythm while the temporal lobe processes sound, the frontal lobe attends to the music, blocking out irrelevant distractions, and the parietal lobe integrates any incoming sensory information. The sensory-motor integration and auditory-motor interactions increase when playing instruments as it requires precise mapping between sound and movement.
Instruments are known for being beneficial for overall health. Musicians are more likely to maintain cognitive abilities involving executive functioning and short-term memory during their aging process. Older musicians have demonstrated the ability to filter out irrelevant stimuli for better focus and hear more clearly in the presence of background noise. Musical activities have potential to improve physical and psychological health. In some cases, people with lowered risk of dementia have played instruments, and playing the keyboard or drums can improve motor skills in stroke patients through the improved connectivity and function of brain areas responsible for controlling movement. Music is also known to change your ability to perceive time, reduce seizures, improve communication, boost your immune system, assist in repairing brain damage, and evoke memories.
Playing an instrument is overall an incredibly rewarding activity. Similarly to math, music has become an universal language and can invoke communication of emotions or themes simply through playing notes from a page. The remarkable sensory-motor and cognitive functions improve one’s academic and social aspects of life. Musical instruments invoke a complex process involving several areas of the brain that constantly communicate with one another to allow a musician to perform, ultimately improving brain health and cognitive function.
Works Cited
Izbicki, Patricia. “Your Brain Will Thank You for Being a Musician.” Scientific American Blog Network, 9 Apr. 2020, blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/your-brain-will-thank-you-for-being-a-musician/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2022.
O’Donnell, Laurence. “Music and the Brain.” Cerebromente.org.br, 1999, cerebromente.org.br/n15/mente/musica.html. Accessed 14 Feb. 2022.
Stoklosa, Anne, and St Fisher. Instruments of Knowledge: Music and the Brain. 16 Feb. 2022.
University of Central Florida. “Your Brain on Music.” Pegasus Magazine, University of Central Florida, 2017, www.ucf.edu/pegasus/your-brain-on-music/. Accessed 15 Feb. 2022.
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