Whether you are young, old or ‘in-between,’ music is an important and essential constant in our lives. We each have a favourite style, genre and type, and we change up the style for different reasons. We might listen to meditative music while working, and then jam out to some upbeat pop or heavy metal while driving home, singing along to our favourite artist.
When we take this a step further and engage in music lessons, such as by taking voice lessons or learning to play an instrument, we actually pave the way for an improved self and well-being.
What most people don’t realize is that music can benefit us in so many ways that we likely did not even consider possible. There are studies that have proven the effects of studying music on our brains and our abilities, and many of these advantages can be utilized at any age.
So what sort of benefits come from learning music? Let’s explore how music works its magic on us and in our lives.
Studying music improves your memory
When you study music, your brain utilizes the part that works with recall, or memory. You have to memorize notes, lyrics, musical patterns, tempo and dynamics. All of this helps improve your memory so you can play a piece of music without needing a sheet to refer to.
Music not only helps us recall old memories, but it can help create new memories as well. It has been utilized with patients who are suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s, and the results have shown that recall is attainable.
Listening to music engages your entire brain, and a study done by the Free University of Germany demonstrated that sad music assists the memory by touching our emotions and feelings.
We feel we are expressing our emotions in the same way that the singer we are studying is, or we can feel empathy through understanding their emotions. These feelings can carry over into our understanding of others, which makes it easier for us to connect to people and the world on a deeper level.
Music boosts the mood and self-esteem
Due to our ability to feel a range of emotions through music, it can help with feelings of stress and anxiety by providing a mood boost. Studies were done with both young and old patients to determine the effects that music had on their 压力水平.
Newborn infants had shorter hospital stays due to decreased distress when classical music was played to them, and in older patients, music helped create a more positive atmosphere. Researchers also found that music therapy has the ability to assist in providing a better quality of life for dying patients.
On the same note, music can boost the mood by providing students who study it with increased confidence in their abilities. In studying a piece of music, you have to work to master it and try to play or sing it perfectly, whether that means singing with the proper inflection and dynamics or playing your instrument with the proper emphasis on certain notes.
When you are finally able to master that piece of music or make it as close to perfect as possible, you feel a huge sense of accomplishment. The praise that your music teacher provides will also give you the increased self-worth and boldness you need to jump in and try something else, to test your abilities and challenge yourself.
These risk-taking strides are helpful down the road when it comes to making decisions about work and life. They give us a better sense of ourselves so we can make the best-informed decisions possible and be bold in our choices.
Music lessons raise academic scores
Believe it or not, music lessons can actually help students excel in other subject areas they may be studying in school. Music lessons actually encompass a lot of different subjects within them.
For example, there is a lot of math in music: the counting of notes, staying on tempo and keeping key signature measures. You also inadvertently study English, as you are learning language patterns and studying words. Even a foreign language is learned, as all musical terms are in Italian, and composers from across the world title their compositions in their own languages.
A recent study that was done on low-income children demonstrated that music lessons and classes helped them perform better academically.
Your quality of sleep can improve with music
If you have ever listened to soothing music before heading to bed, chances are, you had a better night’s sleep than the nights you didn’t.
Research in Taiwan concluded that the probability of getting better sleep was higher when the sleeping individual was provided with music. This research involved older people who had reported having issues with things like depression and physical impairments that were preventing them from getting adequate sleep.
Another study was done on younger students, with similar results. Students who listened to or studied more relaxing music close to bedtime were shown to have improved sleep quality. The music provided them with a distraction so their brains could focus on relaxation and being soothed by the sound, instead of going through all of the troubles and thoughts that tend to keep people awake.
Start music lessons today
The benefits of music can have an enormously positive impact on our lives. There have been many advances attributed to music and music lessons, and there are also ongoing studies on how music can help us and benefit us in other ways.
It is incredible that studying music helps our brain function, aids us with achieving higher academic scores, helps us relax and combat stress, and even makes us feel better overall.
If you have ever considered taking voice lessons or learning a musical instrument as a hobby, there is no age limit as to when you can start. Jump in and realize the benefits of music in your life today!
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