It’s always a great achievement when one learns to play the piano. Learning to play the piano is fun, and it allows you to get in touch with your musical side. It also comes with some surprising benefits. Here are the top five outstanding benefits of playing the piano that can apply to adults and children.
Relieves Stress
Playing the piano is one of the most recommended things to do after a long, stressful day. That’s because when you’re playing the piano, you have to live fully in the moment. You have to really concentrate to play through a piece and engage different parts of your brain. Therefore, sitting down to play the piano is an instant way to forget any troublesome and stressful thoughts.
On top of that, playing the piano has a soothing and calming effect. Playing the piano causes vibrations that help you to physically relax. Being stressed can make you feel tense without you even realizing it. But when you play the piano, the feelings of pleasure that you derive from the activity will help counteract that.
Improves Concentration
Learning to play the piano requires plenty of practice. By way of example, students that sign up for piano lessons have to invest hundreds of hours into practice before they become decent players. Over time, this teaches them the ability to concentrate on a particular task for a specific period of time. This is an important skill to learn because there will always be many distractions in the environment.
But piano music is so interesting that it’s easy to concentrate even if you are concentrating on a tricky piece. The other thing is when you’re playing the piano. You’re focused on improving your skill, which keeps you motivated and encourages a commitment that’s beneficial when applied to other areas of life.
Boosts Brain Function
Children can also benefit from playing the piano. For instance, according to Steinway, children with a few years of experience playing the piano can recall up to 20% more vocabulary words than their peers. But the truth is, music engages nearly every part of the brain. It’s necessary for different parts to work together to combine the various musical elements when you’re playing the piano at a fast pace.
For instance, playing the piano engages the visual, auditory, and motor functions of your brain. You have probably heard that the brain is like a muscle. When playing the piano, you’re essentially giving your brain a good workout and boosting your brain function. You’ll be surprised at how flexible your brain is when it comes to creating entirely new neural circuits as you learn to play the piano.
Builds Tolerance to Constructive Criticism
We all love to hear words of praise but learning to appreciate constructive criticism takes some getting used to. The good news is that piano teachers can help their students build a tolerance for constructive criticism. Most piano teachers are trained to give constructive feedback instead of negative feedback. Constructive criticism is designed to help you make direct improvements.
While receiving constructive criticism is not as enjoyable as getting positive feedback, it helps one to receive feedback in a positive manner. Tolerance to constrictive criticism and learning to respond positively is crucial not only when playing the piano but also in other areas of life. It motivates one to become better and improve without feeling discouraged.
Develops Aural Awareness
Some people shy away from learning the piano because they are tone-deaf. The beauty of learning to play the piano is that it can improve your aural awareness, which is always something you can benefit from if you have a naturally musical ear. If you don’t have a naturally musical ear, it may all seem confusing at first, but if you keep at it, you’ll be surprised at how well your aural awareness develops. For instance, you learn to spot tones and cords, and your sense of pitch becomes better. This is one of those benefits of playing the piano that can benefit both adults and children.
These are some of the top benefits of playing the piano that most people can benefit from. Playing the piano has so many benefits. We can discuss them all day. The most wonderful thing about playing the piano is that it increases social participation and brings music lovers together. Since almost everyone loves music, piano music can be shared with family, friends, and the musical community. Overall, piano music makes life more interesting and meaningful.
