Research in the field of intelligence, during the pandemic, came to incredible conclusions. Namely, as a lot of people were trapped at home, most of them devoted themselves to discovering new hobbies in order to shorten and enrich their free time. Later, intelligence tests were done.
It turned out that the group, who chose learning a new instrument as their hobby, raised their intelligence level by as much as 10%.
Knitting, exercising, reading and learning a new language are right behind, but playing an instrument is by far the number one.
We already knew that musical skill affects intelligence and personality development, but to this extent and so obviously, we didn't.
Anita Collins is in hers TEDtalk, back in 2014, which has been viewed millions of times, explained what happens in the brains of musicians while they play. Collins explains that when a musician plays an instrument, on a brain scan, we can see that multiple areas light up. Parts of the brain light up as they process different information in intricate and astonishingly fast sequences.
Playing activates all these brain areas simultaneously.
Playing music has the same effect on the brain as physical exercise. It is very interesting and therefore not surprising the interest in the topic of research of musical skill in the field of intelligence.
How exactly the skill of playing an instrument affects the development of the cerebral hemispheres, the development of intelligence and self-confidence, we learned from a piano teacher with thirty years of experience, Tatjana Guberina (music school Bravissimo):
Playing an instrument develops fine motor skills, resulting in the joining and creation of new synapses in the brain. Then, the field of vision expands, the power of perception increases, creativity develops, but also logic, which is very important for the development of intelligence.
Already in the first semester, we teach children to develop the independence of their hands, i.e. that each hand plays independently of the other, and that is not an easy task, it must be a conscious action. In this way, both hemispheres of the brain develop equally, because the right half of the brain is in charge of the left side and vice versa.
There are also instruments such as the piano which, in addition to the keyboard, also have pedals, so that independent of the hands, the work of the feet is also included. All this needs to be synchronized and that is why intelligence develops.
As Professor Tatjana states:
The best age to start learning an instrument is around 6-7 years old. The best period for the development of motor and other skills, as well as the development of the brain, is early childhood.
A recent study, led by experts at Stanford University School of Medicine, found that musicians who started playing an instrument at a young age had more "wired" brains than those who didn't.
Using a sample set of 153 musicians and non-musicians, the researchers found a significant difference in brain structure in musicians. This revealed one crucial piece of information. Those who started playing at a young age have stronger brain connections than those who started later.
Playing an instrument in early childhood encourages the development of intellectual abilities, and predicts greater success and realization of potential in adulthood.Therefore, do not wait, but give your child the chance for the highest development and success as soon as possible. The Music School and enrolling in playing lessons is a wise decision right now.
Our association iDEAlab continues to support the development of young people's potential. We hope that with scientifically supported advice we can improve the success and future of the next generations.
