I’ve been a musician basically my whole life, and I grew up in a very musical household. I started my musical journey playing trumpet in middle school, picking up the Ocarina in 2011, then singing in choir through high school and college, even for performances with Joe Hisaishi and Andrea Bocelli.
This is not to brag in any way, but it’s to illustrate how music has been one of the core elements of my life. I recently realized that I feel best when music is a regular part of my life, and when I lack music, something feels missing.
I’ve been on a bit of a musical funk lately, not as in funky music, but as in not singing or playing ocarina with any regularity for nearly a year.
I’ve always been told that playing music is great for your brain and mental health, but after feeling more down more frequently lately, I decided to do some research into why.
That’s when I came across an article by Penn Medicine
The Article: Playing an Instrument: Better for Your Brain than Just Listening
Playing music is a full workout for the brain
It engages both the right and left sides of brain as well as multiple senses, particularly visual, auditory, and emotional inputs.
Most instruments require each hand to do different things, engaging the peripheral nervous system, responsible for finger movement plus gross and fine motor skills.
When you play one part but pay attention to what’s coming next, you engage the brain’s executive function, responsible for planning and decisions.
Music engages your senses with visual, auditory, and emotional inputs, which alongside engaging basically all of your brain, provides a total mental workout.
Because of all this, playing music provides life-long benefits
Children who play music have life-long benefits, and elderly folks see decreased risk of dementia
In a study cited in the article, participants aged 60-85 who took piano lessons had gains in “memory, verbal fluency, the speed at which they processed information, planning ability, and other cognitive functions, as compared with those who had not received lessons.”
Basically, playing music is like working out but for your brain, and just like exercise, there are so many benefits.
It’s fun, and fun is good for you—and music is a major source of stress relief
The article tells the story of many doctors who participate in music, but that of Surgeon Jose Pascual, MD, stood out to me. He plays in an orchestra, which provides him relief and escape from his stressful literally life-or-death work. His day-to-day as a surgeon often consists of treating people often going through the worst experiences of their lives, which really takes a toll on his mental health. Music provides an outlet to relieve the stress and a total escape from thinking about it all.
Playing music is most beneficial, but you can have many stress-relief and cognitive benefits from just listening to music as well.
Aside from the study, I’ve felt mindfulness similar to actual meditation while doing chill jams on my ocarina. Learning an instrument also is a surprisingly useful and interesting skill. And it’s also a great way to annoy your roommates.
How Will I Apply This Personally?
Music is part of my core identity, and it’s been largely missing. I used to have choir rehearsal twice a week, would practice my ocarina regularly, and generally seek out musical things to do.
Given all the benefits playing music has, I need to get back on it!
I’ve actually been forced to put music front and center in my life in the coming weeks, since once again, it’s the premiere digital ocarina event of the year, Oca-tober, where numerous ensembles post performances daily through the month, including the ensemble I’ve played in since 2017, Ocabanda.
I began feeling anxious about jumping back in to Ocarina stuff so suddenly, but working on this video has made me excited to get back in to it.
But after Oca-tober, how will I maintain some musical ritual?
First, I want to commit to practicing my ocarina at least twice a week. Why not more? I’m a problematic perfectionist with these things, and I’m much more likely to follow through with a smaller commitment.
Next, I plan to make more music-related videos and posts. Maybe I’ll log progress learning ukulele, maybe more ocarina vlogs, maybe actually record some songs? I do have more clarity on how to re-incorporate music into my content after getting really good with incorporating my career, so I can do both!
Last, I will find more ways to do music with people. I can start with Ocabanda, but I will look for more ways to prioritize group music again.
What Should YOU Do Next?
If you used to play an instrument, sing, or otherwise have music in your life, reconnect with that!
If not and you want to get started, I highly recommend the ocarina. As instruments go, it’s quite easy to learn, and they’re super affordable!
Andy Cormier 