Piano
for Body, Mind and Soul:-
There has always
been a recognized trinity between the mind, the body, and the therapeutic
qualities of music. And the piano, specifically, has been a long-recognized
source of remedy for those seeking escape and creative expression. But recent
years have also offered a wealth of scientific studies that demonstrate our
instincts have always been correct playing the piano offers proven
benefits from physical and intellectual to social and emotional to people of
all ages.
Let’s
Get Physical:-
The physical
benefits of piano playing are even more far reaching. Mitchell Gaynor M.D., in
his book Sounds of Healing, demonstrates
that music has therapeutic physical effects including reduced anxiety, heart
and respiratory rates; reduced cardiac complications; lowered blood pressure;
and increased immune responses.
Keys
to Better Thinking:-
In a study conducted
by E. Glenn Schellenberg of the University of Toronto at Mississauga in 2011,
researchers split 132 first-graders into four separate groups for after-school
activities. One group was given singing lessons, one was given drama lessons,
another piano lessons, and the last was offered no after-school instruction.
All of the students’ IQ’s were evaluated at the end of the year. Those who
participated in the piano lessons saw an IQ increase of 7 points, while the
other groups saw an increase of 4.25 at most. The researchers concluded that
the fact that piano education requires one to be focused for long periods of
times contributes to the greater IQ gains in the piano-playing group.
Striking
a Contented Chord:-
Barry Bittman, MD,
of the Body-Mind Wellness Center in Meadville, Pennsylvania, created a study to
gauge stress levels among 32 volunteers. The volunteers were put through a
stress-inducing activity attempting to assemble a difficult puzzle while
incentivized by a monetary prize and then were told to “relax” afterward using
a variety of different methods, including reading magazines and playing
keyboards. The volunteers also gave blood during the study, and the blood was
tested for the activity of 45 stress-related genes. In the group that played
keyboard to relax, the results showed a significantly higher reversal in the
markers for stress-related genes than in the other groups.
“With ongoing
research,” Bittman concludes, “recreational music-making could potentially
serve as a rational stress-reduction activity, along with other lifestyle
strategies that include healthy nutrition and exercise.”
Add to this data the
other benefits that come from piano playing—increases in work ethic, diligence,
creativity, self-reliance and perseverance and the result is a veritable
symphony of good news for your body and your soul.
