June 5: The Benefits to your Health of Learning to Play a Musical Instrument

June 5, 2025

Many of us, especially those longer in the tooth, picked up a guitar in high school and have dragged it around ever since, occasionally trotting it out to pick out the opening notes of Stairway to Heaven.

But the experts say taking up an instrument more seriously in your later years can actually be more than a party trick, but a boost to your overall health. Save with SPP scoured the Interweb to find out a little more on this topic.

At the New Music World website, we find out that “research has shown that playing an instrument can improve literacy and math skills, enhance verbal memory, spatial reasoning and cognitive function, as well as increase discipline and time management skills.”

Wow!

Physical benefits of playing an instrument, the article continues, include “improved hand-eye coordination and increased fine motor skills.” Your mental health, the article adds, benefits from “reduced stress and anxiety” and “improved memory and cognitive skills.”

And on the social interaction side, playing an instrument can present “opportunities for collaboration.” We remember our basement high school band fondly – a very loud and badly tuned memory, but a good one.

The article says there are also emotional benefits that come with playing an instrument, as playing “allows you to express emotions” and can increase your empathy skills.

Canadian music company Long & McQuade provides some more thoughts on the topic.

Playing an instrument, the article notes, “promotes brain development in the same areas related to language and reasoning skills for children. Studies show that children who learn music tend to perform better in math and reading.”

It’s also a benefit, the article suggests, to your personal growth.

“Music is a lifelong journey. Learning to play an instrument provides endless growth opportunities, whether you’re a child taking your first lessons or an adult returning to an instrument after years away,” the article notes.

“Learning music encourages a mindset of lifelong learning, pushing yourself to improve and expand your skills and craft. This quest for knowledge can lead to newfound passions and interests that enrich life and make you feel like you are `levelling up,’” the article concludes.

The Scientific Origin blog points out a few more benefits of learning to play.

Music playing “increases discipline and patience,” the blog notes.

“The daily commitment to practice teaches musicians how to manage their time effectively and stay focused on their goals. For children, this structured discipline often carries over into their schoolwork and extracurricular activities, helping them develop better study habits and time-management skills,” the blog notes.

It also boosts your individual creativity; the blog tells us.

“Music provides a vast canvas for self-expression, allowing you to explore and experiment with different sounds, melodies, and rhythms. As you grow more proficient with your instrument, you gain the freedom to compose your own pieces, improvise, or re-interpret existing music in unique ways. This creative exploration strengthens your ability to think outside the box and approach problems with an innovative mindset,” the blog states.

Some final thoughts come to us from the Musical Pursuits blog.

Playing an instrument can help ward off “age-related hearing loss,” the blog reports.

“Many studies prove that musicians are less susceptible to the deterioration of the auditory cortex. It means they can hear better despite the aging process,” the blog adds.

The final, and most important thought from all the articles is that playing music makes you happy.

“Science reveals that music releases a chemical in your brain called dopamine, which not only improves your mood and decreases anxiety, but also helps the production of stress-reducing cortisol, inducing pleasure, joy and motivation,” the blog tells us.

A lot of the findings listed here have been borne out by our personal experiences. Our late father was a fine pianist – even when battling dementia, he could still play any song anyone called out, always in the key of C. There were other folks in the memory care ward who didn’t speak much but could still play harmonica or accordion.

Our mother’s folks played mandolins together for all their long marriage, and grandma lived to a ripe old age of 98.

We have had the time to play more often since our retirement from full time work over a decade ago, and we’re getting a little better. The dogs now lie down and listen rather than howling for an end to it – progress!

Getting out of the workforce is one thing, but being able to afford post-work life is another. As we always say, look for work in your younger years where a pension or retirement program of some type is offered. If there isn’t such a program where you work, consider the Saskatchewan Pension Plan, which is available for individuals to join, or can be leveraged by organizations as their company pension plan. You provide the contributions, we do all the rest – investing your savings dollars in a low-cost, professionally managed pooled fund. At retirement your income options include a monthly annuity payment for life, or the more flexible Variable Benefit option.

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Long & McQuade, Musical Pursuits, New Music World, Scientific Origin

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