Learning Piano – A Beneficial and Fun Activity for Seniors
Music is oftentimes employed in nursing homes because it improves the mood of patients. Patients diagnosed with dementia have been observed to sing all the lyrics to a song even when they cannot recall other details from their past. Jennifer Burgos investigated the effect of piano instruction on persons over the age of 60. Burgos, an Assistant Professor teaching music at the University of South Florida in Tampa, discovered that after six months, seniors who had taken piano music lessons outperformed those who had not taken the studies in terms of memory and verbal fluency.
Benefits of Learning Piano
1. Playing the piano slows down deterioration
Musical training promotes cognitive reserve in seniors. Cognitive reserve, or how the brain fights function decline, improves considerably in seniors who take piano keyboard lessons. Reading, writing, and crossword puzzles boost mental well-being and lower the risk of dementia development.
However, seniors who learn to play the keyboard piano achieve an increase in numerous brain functions. Furthermore, playing the piano keys improves auditory memory performance, which may reinforce memory capacity that aids communication, dialogue, and the ability to discriminate vowel and consonant sounds. In other words, playing easy piano songs helps prevent hearing loss and improves communication abilities as people age.
2. Pain is reduced by Piano, Says Study
Seniors who learn to play the keyboard have higher levels of human growth hormone, linked to reduced age-related aches and pains. Higher levels of human growth hormone decrease the onset of osteoporosis while increasing energy, sexual function, and muscular mass. This keyboard playing is ultrasonic therapy in which sound vibrations are sent into your body to improve circulation and relax muscles. Piano playing gets the flow of energy and produces the same results as yoga, acupuncture, meditation, and shiatsu.
3. Hand Muscles and Hand-Eye Coordination are strengthened
It should be no surprise that playing this instrument requires hand and eye coordination. Still, a recent study on motor controls in musicians contends that pianists have altered their cortical mapping to speed up their finger movements. Learning to play the piano online can test these connections in the brain that control movement in kids and seniors with poor motor abilities and improve coordination.
4. Playing the Piano Improves Your Health and Happiness
Regular keyboard practice helps improve people’s mental health. Gaining the satisfaction of mastering a musical piece boosts self-confidence. Listening to this keyboard music improves mood and reduces stress. A form of ultrasonic therapy, playing the keyboard improves circulation and relaxes muscles by transmitting sound vibrations to the player’s body. Inducing the brain to release dopamine and endorphins through the playing of music calms and activates the primary sensations of touch and sight, reducing anxiety, depression, and loneliness. These mood-related factors influence overall wellness by boosting the immune system and enhancing player health.
5. Learning the piano helps in relationship building
Seniors can develop ties with others by playing the keyboard, and its lessons can be a terrific opportunity to leave the house and meet new people. Divergent thinking, a creative strategy that forces the use of both sides of the brain, is used when playing music on the keyboard. Players frequently use this strategy to develop their capacity to think creatively and overcome problems.
Conclusion
Because they didn’t practice when they were younger, many people in their nineties believe that learning a musical instrument is not realistic for them now. They doubt their ability to learn or think that doing so would make them appear foolish or vulnerable. As a senior, learning this musical instrument has benefits beyond mere enjoyment. The advantages of learning piano to one’s health and its impact on cognitive function are more compelling.
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FAQs
Is piano practice beneficial for seniors?
Playing the piano helps seniors in a bunch of ways. It improves the creative thinking, reduces pain and slows down mental deterioration.
Can senior citizens study piano?
It has been demonstrated that even when starting late in life, seniors may learn to play the piano to a very proficient level.
How challenging is piano playing?
Becoming a skilled pianist takes several years of work and countless lessons.
Does playing the piano help your brain?
The brain’s motor, visual, and auditory cortices benefit greatly from playing the piano.
Does piano practice help seniors with arthritis?
Your hands’ joints and muscles will become stronger as you practice playing the piano. The skill required for playing the piano sustains the strength of your hand muscles and prevents the thinning of your tiny bones.
