Boosting Brain, Body and Well-Being: Why Music Lessons Are Good for Grown-ups, Too!

Spring is a great time to try new things and to experience life in all of its richness. Many will flock to the gym in search of health and happiness (and in preparation for the dreaded swimsuit season), but this Springtime, why not stray off the beaten path and look elsewhere for renewal? Adulthood can be the perfect time to explore a new musical instrument or an old musical talent for several reasons, as the faculty and staff at Cornerstone Music Studios at Millstone are well aware. You may think you’ve missed the opportunity to experience any of the well-known benefits attributed to childhood musical study, but it isn’t too late for older students benefit in both mind and body from playing an instrument. It’s also easy to make excuses, because artistic passion often gets pushed aside in daily life, but the arguments in favor of finally starting to take lessons are more compelling than you may think and the Cornerstone Music Studios community is happy to explain!

First of all, some adults hesitate to take up a new instrument because they think it’s too late to enjoy advantages that are often attributed to childhood musical study, including 2004 findings from the University of Toronto that playing a musical instrument boosted youths’ overall IQ. Musical training also boosts children’s spatial-temporal reasoning, according to a study published in 1997 by Neurological Science. Likewise, a study from Harvard Medical School showed that children who regularly engage in musical study show an overall increase in neural activity: their brains are just working harder! As it turns out, older students can experience similar boosts in mental prowess and other important health benefits, too. A recent study from Northwestern University concludes that adults who train musically stave off hearing loss as they age by activating the nervous system’s ability to precisely encode sound. Practicing a musical instrument can also help slow the deterioration of speech skills for precisely this reason. Additionally, music-making has also been found to reduce the stress levels of adult students. Long-term stress, the kind that many of us deal with on a daily basis, causes the accumulation of the hormone cortisol in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, damaging (among other things) the neurons in that region. Musical practice and study not only help heal the deleterious effects of stress on the brain, but also help the body regulate hormone levels to avoid stress altogether. Cornerstone Music student and multi-instrument musician Cynthia Bailey can certainly attest to this: working in accounting and raising two young boys, she says that “taking lessons, especially as a mom, is ‘me time’.” Practicing music can serve as that one vital time in a busy day to reset, recharge, and significantly care for your health in the process. Charlotte Roy, a long-time piano student at Cornerstone Music who is currently enjoying an active retirement, absolutely agrees. As many others with joint pain in their hands have done, Charlotte restarted her piano lessons to treat her symptoms as well as prevent further damage and is happy to report that “playing piano works- it has done away with my arthritis and I love it.” To body and mind, then, adult musical study can be beneficial in many different ways. 

Time constraints, too, can be a concern that prevents older students from pursuing the music they love. But Cindy Bailey has found that even intervals of ten minutes have a marked effect on her performance in lessons: “Don’t be afraid about setting aside enough time to practice. Practicing is hectic because of my kids’ schedules, but I can find a way to carve out ten or fifteen minutes and it adds up.”  Charlotte Roy acknowledges that practicing can be a challenge for her, but finds that intentionality is key: “I always intend to practice!” she laughs. “I just never give up. I get better because I don’t quit.” Of practicing, Bailey says, “It’s different than when I was a child and took lessons. I hated practicing, but as an adult you realize the amount of time that has to be put into it and you’re more motivated to get better. I love practicing.”

Bailey’s enjoyment of the learning process brings us to the next incorrect assumption that adult beginners make about their musical study: that they won’t get “good”, so why bother? In fact, the opposite may be true regarding music students who start later in life. Recent studies show that the adult brain is far nimbler than we’d thought, and that the “idea that there’s a critical period for learning in childhood is overrated,” says Gary Marcus, a psychologist at New York University. In fact, in an experiment conducted at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, adults demonstrated a much faster ability to learn to press keys in a certain sequence and at certain times, an exercise meant to mimic keyboard practice. Greg DeLuca, Cornerstone Music piano faculty member and long-time music educator agrees; of his adult students, he thinks that “there are certainly aspects of music reading that they can grasp more quickly than children do.” In fact, DeLuca claims that in his experience the major difference between younger and older students is that “adults are less patient and less easily satisfied with their progress. They have expectations that are too high and once they realize that they can absolutely become skilled.” Cynthia Bailey’s anecdotal experience further confirms that learning to play an instrument may actually get easier as we age: “I find I pick [songs] up faster than I did as a child,” Bailey asserts. Children may have more time and energy to devote to practicing their instrument, but that’s no reason adults can’t learn just as, if not more, efficiently.

But the most important benefits of undertaking recreational musical study as an adult might not even be quantifiable. Dr. Richard Daniels, a radiologist and a beginner violin student at Cornerstone Music Studios, ultimately takes music lessons for different reasons than those listed above. “On the one hand,” he says, “it’s very personal, because I have no plans to perform.” On the other hand, however, coming to music lessons together presents an opportunity to spend time with his daughter, Briana. “It’s something we can share,” says Dr. Daniels of the duo’s musical studies, “I enjoy her music more now that I know what goes into making it.” Not only do back-to-back lessons facilitate father-daughter bonding, they may also improve your child’s overall performance on her instrument. Parents who are musically literate can help children achieve more in their lessons, as Cynthia Bailey knows. Bailey’s two sons play the piano, and she says that it’s “nice for them to see Mommy getting frustrated while practicing and keep going. It’s a great model for them to have. Plus, I’m able to help them with their work.”

Likewise, Bonnie Hohenshilt, a Middle School chemistry teacher and mother of two, found that beginning flute lessons again after twenty years was a perfect way to get her daughters passionately making music: “The girls heard me playing and they wanted to participate, too.” Hohenshilt, whose earlier years of playing have made her a talented flautist, likes to set an example of successful practicing for her children: “They’re still in the quagmire of learning details and I’m beyond that. To see someone practice at that level is huge for them.” So huge, in fact, that Hohenshilt’s daughter Kayla has decided to begin taking flute lessons using her mother’s instrument! Cornerstone Music piano and voice faculty member Colleen McDonald, understands the benefits of such parental involvement: “I always encourage parents of Cornerstone Music students to consider learning more about their child’s instrument through lessons of their own.” McDonald, who earned her Master’s degree in Voice Pedagogy and Performance from Westminster Choir College, asserts that having a musically literate parent “not only aids in the child’s progress by having an auxiliary music educator at home, but making music together is a fun and rewarding family activity.” For the Daniels, Bailey and Hohenshilt families, this statement could not be more true!

Parental engagement aside, adults who study an instrument often find that a sense of personal fulfillment goes hand-in-hand with making music. Charlotte Roy agrees that her trips to Cornerstone Music put her “in a comfortable place. The quality of the musicians and watching all of the different lessons is very inspiring.” Roy also enjoys the camaraderie and challenge of the student-teacher relationship as an adult: “It’s much more enjoyable interacting with a teacher now.” Bonnie Hohenshilt, a Middle School chemistry teacher and mother of two, agrees: “The relationship is far more collaborative as an adult with the teacher; they’re still the expert, but we are able to play together more and collaborate more.” Hohenshilt describes how her decision to perform for her family and friends at Cornerstone Music Studios’ 2013 Annual Recital gave her great satisfaction: “It was wonderful for them to see me play again. (Studying the flute) was a huge part of my life as a child and a financial and emotional commitment for my family, so it meant a lot for them to see me play.” But the word that most often comes to mind when asked to describe her musical endeavors? “Joyful!” Hohenshilt asserts; “It was joyful and wonderful to be creating music again.” Whether to find common ground with family, to help your children in their musical studies or simply to relax and enjoy learning, intangible benefits are sometimes the very best reasons to pick up an instrument!

Clearly there is no shortage of reasons to try a new instrument or revive an old musical pursuit for a fresh start this Spring. Committing to musical study as an adult means an investment of time and treasure, but the returns are overwhelming for one’s mind, body and quality of life. It’s possible to experience benefits in mental and physical health, but also in skill and satisfaction. You may not become the next Mozart, but you will most likely improve and enjoy yourself along the way. Spring is a great time for growth: why not make yours musical? After all, what’s a new season without a new beginning? 

Cornerstone Music Studios, founded and directed by long-time Millstone Township resident Laura Wittman, has been providing quality music instruction in a professional, friendly and nurturing environment to students of all ages for over five years, fostering their musical development and confidence and cultivating a passion for music. As a community-oriented studio, Cornerstone Music aspires to promote the positive values of music by bringing families, neighbors and friends together to inspire all to embrace the gift of music and make all feel as though they are a part of something especially remarkable!