How Learning to Play an Instrument at Any Age Can Help a Person Become Healthier and Smarter

In a dulcet episode of Life Noggin, narrator Pat Graziosi explained how and why playing a musical instrument can be very beneficial to health. Essentially, playing an instrument of any kind helps to improve coordination, memory, problem solving, immune system, can stave off the development of cognitive impairments, such as dementia and even make a person a bit more intelligent.

Playing an instrument requires your auditory, motor, sensory, and visual systems to all work together. …Starting to play an instrument just one hour a week for a few months can cause growth and increased activity in the parts of your brain responsible for memory, hearing, and motor function. Researchers found that this type of practice could even increase your IQ by 7 points or more.