Playing Music in Childhood has Lifelong Benefits

Learning to play an instrument is no mean feat, and it’s a fact that the sooner you start – while your brain and agile fingers are still malleable and up for it – the sooner you’ll crack it and the sooner a lifetime of loving music can start. So, with the help of Stages Music Arts, let’s look at how playing music in childhood has lifelong benefits.

What isn’t so well known is that the neural pathways you can open up as a child, learning tricky guitar fingering, reaching for complex chords and shapes on a piano and rapidly mentally processing written notation into physical action, can lead to a sharper, more capable mind in later years.

A study from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom has identified greater lifetime-long improvements on tests for cognitive ability for those people who learned to play an instrument, versus those who did not.

What’s more, even when factors such as education, childhood cognitive ability, social status and health in older age were considered, musicians still gained an uplift in mental skills that can be directly attributed to their love of music. 

Of the 336 participants, 117 had some experience of playing a musical instrument in their childhood and it was this group that showed the best results, with small but notable changes being directly because of their musical skill.

About Stages Music Arts

Our mission is to help you find your unique voice by playing the music you love from the start. We strive to inspire students of all ages and abilities to discover your passion, gain confidence, master your instrument and thrive in a supportive community. At Stages Music Arts, you become part of a community centered around the joy and soul of making music.