By Anwita Vedula, Blackheath High School, London
The piano is an instrument played by many, and it’s truly no surprise: the piano is known for
its elegance, and its music can be mesmerising. Playing this instrument is seen as an art that
is difficult to master, and most people don’t even bother trying to learn. However, I believe
that if they realised the relationship between music and science, they would change their
tune.
The truth is that music and science are very closely intertwined. That’s why playing the piano
has countless benefits for the brain. Nonetheless, it can be a challenging experience - whether
you have just started learning or if you’re practising. When learning, it’s important to
remember key facts such as the note names and what the notes look like. While practising,
pianists can struggle with overcoming left or right-handedness, a trait that is innate to many
people. It can be hard because while playing, a pianist must use their right hand to play the
melody and their left to play the additional notes. Additionally, musicians must persevere
through finger fatigue, which can be tiring. It can be frustrating when you have to face such a
problem, so why should you bother about it at all? Here’s why.
Firstly, playing the piano greatly contributes to the prevention of brain processing, memory
loss, and ageing. American neuroscientist Nina Kraus, who is a professor of neurobiology at
Northwestern University, Illinois, is actually the first to provide evidence for this. She
conducted an experiment that eighty-seven people were a part of, and their ages ranged from
eighteen years to sixty-five years old. These people all had normal hearing, and around half
of the subjects took piano lessons and continued to play often. The other half barely took any
lessons and were not musicians. In her experiment, Kraus and her team attached electrodes to
the heads of all participants. Electrodes are pads that are attached to the skin and allow the
electric current to be recorded. The reason for using the electrodes was to measure “neural
timing” or how fast it takes for the brain to process an auditory signal (such as a series of
sounds or spoken messages). The faster the neural timing of each participant, the lesser the
chance of them ever developing memory/hearing loss. Kraus and her colleagues discovered
that those who were not musicians scored far worse than those who were musically active in
their lives. She then concluded that music plays a very crucial role in hindering memory loss
and slow brain processing.
Furthermore, playing the piano
strongly encourages the connection
between the different parts of the
frontal lobe of the brain. The frontal
lobe manages cognitive functions
such as memory, problem-solving,
and social interaction. A research
investigation conducted by Dr. Ana
Pinho, who works at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, found that the medial
prefrontal cortex becomes very active while playing the piano. The medial prefrontal cortex
is the part of the frontal lobe that helps with creativity. Thirty-nine students from the Royal
College of Music in Stockholm participated in Dr. Pinho 's experiment. They had different
levels of knowledge for classical and jazz piano. When they were laid down in the scanner,
the pianists were asked to play their favourite piece, though at times they were prompted to
play something particularly happy/sad. At the Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego
in 2018, Dr. Pinho said the scans revealed “...training led to more automation and higher
functional connectivity between regions that are important for creative playing.” This means
that pianists possess the unique ability to think outside of the box because of their training.
Dr. Pinho also stated that greater connectivity improved the overall efficiency of these brain
regions, which means that pianists’ abilities to recall, solve problems, and understand
information are enhanced.
Finally, playing the piano can stimulate innovation and individuality. One way this can
happen is by improvising. Improvisation is a technique that involves performing without any
preparation or making up the notes as you go along; it requires a great deal of concentration
but also creativity. Gottfried Schlaug, the director of the neuroimaging lab at Harvard
Medical School in Boston, supports this. He talks about the relationship between
improvisation and creativity; he says, “Improvisation is one way into creativity. These tools
allow us to understand what brain regions are involved in creative thought and in coming up
with new ideas.” Schlaug emphasises how vital this relationship is because of the effect it can
have on society: “...And from a societal perspective, it’s always important to strengthen
creativity because it is the seed for new developments and new ideas.”
References:
Lindebladpiano.com. (2018). 15 Benefits of Learning Piano (Backed By Science!) | Blog |
Lindeblad Piano. [online] Available at: https://www.lindebladpiano.com/blog/benefits-of-
playing-piano.
MD, A.E.B. (2020). Why is music good for the brain? [online] Harvard Health Blog.
Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-is-music-good-for-the-brain-
2020100721062.
TED-Ed. (2014). How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins. [online]
Available at: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain-
anita-collins.
Brooklyn, E. (n.d.). The Science Behind Learning to Play the Piano [Updated 2020]. [online]
https://bestdigitalpiano.net/. Available at: https://bestdigitalpiano.net/learning-to-play-the-
piano/science-behind-learning-play-piano/.
The Guardian. (2013). Scientists shed light on creativity by studying pianists’ brain activity.
[online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/12/scientists-
creativity-pianists-brain-activity.
fundamentals-of-piano-practice.readthedocs.io. (n.d.). 2. Scientific Approach to Piano
Practice — Fundamentals of Piano Practice. [online] Available at: https://fundamentals-of-
piano-practice.readthedocs.io/chapter1/ch1_research/IV.2.html.
https://www.howstuffworks.com/about-author.htm (2014). 10 Connections Between Physics
and Music. [online] HowStuffWorks. Available at:
https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/10-connections-physics-music.htm.
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