November 3, 2016

About the Author: Stefan Joubert

Stefan Joubert manages the London Piano Institute, a premier destination for adult piano learners seeking individualised instruction and progress towards their musical goals. He believes anyone can learn to play regardless of age or ability!

Learn why you can seriously increase your IQ when you learn how to play the piano.
Playing the piano is good food for your brain and amazing for your future well-being!

Playing a musical instrument can be a fun way to pass time and gain a new skill, whether you’re a complete beginner or have been playing for years. But could picking up an instrument boost your intelligence too? Research suggests that it could have a positive impact on your IQ as well as other measures of intellect

According to research from the University of Zurich, regularly playing a musical instrument changes the shape and power of the brain. It found that musicians have structurally and functionally different brains when compared to non-musicians. In fact, it’s indicated that playing music can increase IQ by up to 7 points in both adults and children. While the parts of the brain that are improved are linked to control motor skills, hearing and storing audio information these areas can also improve other skills used every day, such as planning and emotional perception.

The study also looked at how learning to play a musical instrument affects pensioners with positive and surprising results. After just four or five months of playing an instrument for an hour a week those over the age of 65 were found to have strong changes in the brain, demonstrating that taking up playing the piano can have a positive effect at any stage of life.

Research suggests that the benefits of playing a musical instrument go beyond improving IQ too. One piece of research from Boston Children’s Hospital found that musical training improved executive functioning, a set of cognitive processes, including working memory, problem solving and planning. Executive function enables people to process information quicker and regulate behaviour and is linked to academic achievement. The senior investigator for the study said the findings show taking up a musical instrument could help both children and adults that are struggling with executive function abilities, such as the elderly.

Additional research has also indicated that it’s never too late to benefit from playing an instrument too. According to study results from the University of Liverpool, non-musicians exposed to just half an hour of musical training began to change the way they processed music and language, boosting many different skills in the process.

The benefits of playing a musical instrument go far beyond intelligence indicators too. With the added advantage of helping to relieve stress and giving individuals a creative outlet, learning to play the piano can transform lives.

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