17 Surprising Health Benefits of Playing an Instrument

17 Surprising Health Benefits of Playing an Instrument Health Benefits of Playing an Instrument Jessica Dais Playing an instrument has many benefits learning self-discipline, strengthening mental capacity, and spreading the joy of music, just to name a few. And research shows that these benefits aren’t just for kids. Musicians of any age can take advantage of the physical and emotional health benefits of playing an instrument. It doesn’t matter what instrument you choose to play, either! Keep reading to discover how the act of playing music can drastically improve your overall health.   Health Benefits of Playing an Instrument Physical Benefits of Music Deep Breathing Most of the time our breathing is very shallow, but activities like singing or playing a wind instrument require deep breathing from the diaphragm. This strengthens your lungs and respiratory system. Playing the harmonica can even help with pulmonary disease! Immune Response When we learn to play an instrument, we often become inspired to create our own music. According to an article by Live Science, making music “enhances the immunological response, which enables us to fight viruses.” Stress Relief Playing music brings your energy and focus into a positive activity, which can help alleviate stress. Those reduced stress levels can help get your blood pressure and heart rate down to a healthy level. Fine Hearing Learning music refines your hearing skills by training you to isolate sounds as they occur. Studies have even shown that musicians are better at picking out specific voices and sounds in a noisy environment. Exercise Playing an instrument naturally leads to increased physical activity. Whether youre playing the piano, guitar, strings, or a wind instrument, youre using your arm and back muscles to play and/or hold up your instrument. And if you play the drums, you even get to do some cardio! Posture Any good music teacher will correct your posture during lessons. This can help you get into the habit of sitting up straight and having proper alignment even when youre not playing. These are all great ways to alleviate neck and back pain. Mental Benefits of Music Mental Performance Playing music is like doing a workout for every part of your brain. It helps improve your mental performance and memory. There’s even evidence that music can help a patient’s brain recover from a stroke, as well as slow the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Coordination Using your fingers, hands, and feet in a rhythmic manner for a sustained amount of time, while also being conscious of playing the correct tones, can be a challenge for even the most coordinated people. Over time though, playing music refines your motor skills that go beyond the hand-eye. Time Management Learning an instrument requires practice, of course! But more specifically, it requires consistency and routine. Figuring out how to fit practice into your busy schedule and really stick to it helps you develop better time management and organization skills. Reading Skills Reading music helps strengthen your ability to process information by creating new connections between the synapses in your brain. As a result, reading and absorbing information from other sources becomes a lot easier. Listening Skills Learning music doesn’t just improve your ability to hear details; it also makes you better at listening. Whether you’re practicing on your own or playing with other people, you have to listen for timing, expression, and whether you’re in tune. This can make you a better listener even in everyday conversations as well. Concentration Focus is a necessary part of learning an instrument. Improving your musical skills forces you to use all the parts of your brain involved in concentration, making you better able to concentrate in other life situations. This is another reason why music is beneficial for those with disorders like ADD. Mathematics Learning music is all about pattern recognition, which is mathematical in itself. But even more than that, learning about how music is divided into equal measures and beats, and how those beats are in broken up, can help improve your math skills! SEE ALSO: The 5 Easiest Instruments Perfect for Adult Learners Emotional Benefits of Music Self Expression Whether you’re writing your own piece of music or playing someone else’s, music allows you to express yourself in new ways. You also get to be creative when choosing your own unique style and genre. Therapy Playing music can help with stress, insomnia, and depression because it acts as an outlet for difficult emotions. It can be a form of self-soothing in tough situations, and a healthy distraction from a stressful day. Achievement There’s nothing like the feeling of finally mastering one of your favorite songs! Setting a goal, putting in the work, and eventually reaching that goal gives you a strong sense of achievement. It will improve your confidence in other areas of life in the process. New Friends Whether you use music as an icebreaker when meeting new people, or as a way to actually meet new people playing in a choir, band, or orchestra, for example music is a great way to make new friends. These are just a few of the remarkable health benefits of playing an instrument. To begin reaping the benefits of music in your life, check out the online group music lessons  at TakeLessons Live today. You can access hundreds of live classes on a variety of instruments completely free for your first month. Start playing that instrument youve always wanted to, and your body, mind, and spirit will thank you! Post Author:  Jasmine T. Jasmine T. teaches piano, academics, yoga, and more in San Diego, CA. She has her Power Yoga Level 1 200-Hour Certification, as well as a Certificate of Merit for Piano and Theory from the Music Teachers Association of California. Learn more about Jasmine here!