Countless academic studies have examined the benefits to health and
wellbeing that come along with participating in music, from helping
children with severe emotional challenges to attend and thrive at school,
to slowing and even reversing age and illness-related declines in mental
functioning (University of St Andrews, 2013). Musical activity
even at moderate levels can have a beneficial impact on brain function, so
learning an instrument can have repercussions way beyond the practice
room.
There is even evidence that musical activity actually changes the
structure of the brain, leading to an increase in IQ of up to seven points
in both children and adults (University of Zurich, 2009). The
same study showed how the aural processing areas of the brain are
enhanced, with demonstrable impacts on learning languages, and critical
thinking. The enhancement of these audio processes has also been shown to
help musicians empathise at greater depth through a more acute perception
of tone of voice.
