Stay Sharp! Let the music take you …. brain health at any age

In this article:

Is learning an instrument easy?
Why learning as an adult IS harder
The reasons to keep trying
This Coach’s suggestions of how to get the benefits without such frustration

An article¹ in a UK national paper bemoans the difficulty of learning an instrument in later life. In fact, the author found it so difficult that he gave up. But as you might have noticed, it’s not just in later life that learning an instrument is a challenge – ask the kids who often have this inflicted on them by parents!

What Learning involves

Piano, the instrument the journalist chose, demands a complex mixture of cognitive, emotional, motor, memory, visual and auditory responses – in other words it calls on most of the brain. As a player’s skill increases, piano requires the ability to make small adjustments (as a piece is played) to differentiate an individual’s playing and individually express emotion. It requires all four limbs to work together whilst the brain is both cognitively engaged, and working automatically. Not ‘over thinking’ so cognition doesn’t interfere with the automatic functions. The complexity increases significantly if singing whilst playing, and when playing with and for others. A good description of this complexity is available here. ²

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Why learning as an adult IS harder

Learning something new as an adult requires the ability to control and then move beyond the real fear and shame that comes with being perceived as incompetent – or a ‘learner’. This is particularly hard for those who have been successful in life, for those who like or need to be in control, those in a competitive environment, or even just those who need to maintain ‘face’ in front of their children, partners (and colleagues?). Learning involves making mistakes which is inherently shaming.

Here is where an in-person tutor is helpful. A good music teacher provides exercises at the appropriate skill level in a musical genre that appeals, support the learner through the fear and shame, and encourages as appropriate. Learning online won’t provide this level of emotional support although it’s useful for those who cannt access a human teacher, and actually may be more suited for improving technique rather than initial learning.

So why bother?

If it’s this hard to become proficient, why bother?

The answer is actually in the difficulty. Playing an instrument combines sensory and motor capabilities, inevitably co-ordinating left and right hemispheres and the prefrontal cortex, creating new synapses (neural connections) in the process.³ There is now powerful evidence of its positive impact on reducing and slowing the cognitive decline associated with aging in healthy individuals.⁴ These are powerful arguments in favour of learning to play an instrument at whatever age when we are doing it through choice. It is a potent form of communication within families and even provides a bridge to your kids upon whom you may have inflicted lessons (and perhaps even insisted they practice).

In this article the focus is on brain and emotional health. The newspaper missed the cognitive benefits of learning an instrument. In between the frustrations it is often calming, as we focus on the task away from everyday demands. It may become a joyful place for the player in an increasing hectic and anxious world.

Most of us accept that we will never headline concerts, just as we will never play sport for our country. We watch, often in awe, as professional musicians seem to effortlessly deliver a hugely complex task that has taken them decades to master. The great news is we don’t have to be that good, (or pass Grades), in order to gain the cognitive benefits.

This coach suggests that you choose a musical genre you love. Beg or borrow an instrument you fancy knowing how to play⁵. Buy or borrow some headphones and have a go. If you can afford it, buy some face-to-face lessons from someone who is both musically competent AND used to teaching adults. The journey starts (as always) with the first step.

References

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jun/24/why-i-quit-learning-piano-retirement-music ↩︎
Brown R., Zatorre R.,, Penhune V., Chapter 4 – Expert music performance: cognitive, neural, and developmental bases, Editor(s): Eckart Altenmüller, Stanley Finger, François Boller, Progress in Brain Research, Elsevier, Volume 217,2015, Pages 57-86, ISSN 0079-6123, ISBN 9780444635518, https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2014.11.021.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079612314000223)https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2014.11.021 This article’s abstract is available for free ↩︎
The Four Stages of Competence an overview is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_competence ↩︎
LeBlanc, Albert (2021) “A Theory of Music Performance Anxiety,” Visions of Research in Music Education:
Vol. 16 , Article 34. PDF download – open access Available at: https://opencommons.uconn.edu/vrme/vol16/iss5/34 ↩︎
Vuust, P., Heggli, O.A., Friston, K.J. et al. Music in the brain. Nat Rev Neurosci 23, 287–305 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-022-00578-5 ↩︎
Román-Caballero R, Arnedo M, Triviño M, Lupiáñez J (2018) Musical practice as an enhancer of cognitive function in healthy aging – A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE 13(11): e0207957. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207957:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0207957 This article reports a meta study and is open access (ie no paywall) ↩︎
NB: there are lots of good value refurbished instruments for sale on websites, and often some for free on community sites. A 66 or 88 key keyboard is a good place to start piano, it’s often inexpensive, it’s playable with headphones and doesn’t take up a whole room. For drums – go digital and maybe even just a digital drum pad to get started. ↩︎

This blog hopes to be helpful as you navigate the various challenges of your life – professional or family.

Contact me for advice or support: we never charge for our first conversation.

Stay Sharp! Let the music take you …. brain health at any age

What Learning involves

Why learning as an adult IS harder

So why bother?

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References