How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins

When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks that go off in musicians' brains when they play, and examines some of the long-term positive effects of this mental workout.

Lesson by Anita Collins, animation by Sharon Colman Graham.

[LucasKingPiano]

I've played piano for nearly 20 years now, I spent about 30 minutes yesterday looking for my car keys while holding them. Good job brain.

[radamstep]

"Did you know everytime a musicians *picks up* their instrument"

Me: looks at my piano
Hmmmm

[HughDoDrawing]

As a professional triangle player, I really found this video intellectually targeted me due to my gifted philosophical and academic abilities. And since I began my talent; I have written 18 books and lectured in 62 Universities around the world.

[danstune]

I have a degenerative brain disease called MSA. It is fatal. I have played the guitar since I was a young child and performed as a songwriter my whole life. Now that I have a movement disorder, the playing of guitar and mandolin have sustained me. I have lived longer than expected in part to which I credit to the playing of these instruments. This video makes sense to me.

[xachlee-llacer]

“On the outside they might look calm”

Recitals
• 1% playing
• 1% self-consciousness/anxiety
• 1% thinking about what’s for dinner later
• 97% *FRICK FRICK FRICK*

[flockenlp]

Musicians clicked on this for their ego.
And so did I.

[fool-on-the-hill]

This video made me cry.

I’ve been playing guitar for a long time, and I realize now that the skills I learned while playing guitar have translated into every aspect of my life.

I feel I can do anything, and I excel at anything I put my mind to. I thank God every day that I am able to play an instrument, and for the blessing it is.

I am so grateful.

[earledaniels]

As a musician I can relate to most aspects of this video. Personally I think musicians are some of the most self critical people you will meet. I know I am. Always striving for perfection, whatever that can be defined as.

[Kannan_]

Me after video:
Mom, where did you put my old guitar?

[MidianVGC]

I always find it fascinating when I see someone picking an instrument and start playing. These people instantly become the most interesting person in the room to me. I began playing guitar during the pandemic and I see just how hard it really is and I now have even more respect for musicians. The time and practice required is just huge. It’s as complex and long as learning another language. So when you see someone fluent, you know it took years of hard work to deliver this beautiful thing called music.

[nerdsunscripted]

I’ve played violin for 23 years, piano for 20, trumpet and percussion for 18. On Friday it took me 5 times walking to my workbench to remember what I meant to grab off of said bench.

[defaultset]

Listeners: "Man... That musician's so calm and in control, what a genius."

Musician: "Oh god. I hate bar 27... Don't mess up don't mess up don't mess up. Who even invented harmonics? What a pain.."

[MemeLord-numi]

Me: *Plays Hot Cross Buns on recorder.*

Also me: _Intellec._

[idroppedmychicken]

Ah yes.. musicians are calm and focused.

Musician’s mind: *okay okay okay, don’t mess this up. Shoot you played a note a little flat. It’s okay.. play it off cool..*

[nmdruyd]

It feels incredible to hear what my brain's up to while I play. As a pianist, I'm so used to separating my hands that I don't even realise what a feat it must be for my poor head

[aminawinterwater]

Yeah, as a flute player, I can agree that so much is running through your mind each time you play.
There’s tempo, rhythm, pitch, tone, dynamics, articulation, and so much more to worry about, all while reading off the music or recalling it from memory.

[michiganabigail]

Interesting...but I could’ve told you that without all the equipment and money!

I was a pianist from the age of 5. I continued all through high school and into college. Unfortunately, after my first three semesters, I fell 70 feet off a cliff. I had a traumatic brain injury dispersed throughout my brain, but centered on the corpus callosum. I was in a coma for about two months. Yet despite this life-threatening injury, I’ve healed remarkably well. I even returned to college two years after the accident, and 22 months after awaking from the coma. It’s assumed that I’ve been able to heal so well because I had been strengthening my corpus callosum my entire life through my perseverance on the piano. I continue to play the piano to this day— I can’t stop now that the piano has saved my quality of life!

[etc]

If musician brains are bunch of fireworks, lingling's is a nuclear explosion

Edit: i did not expect so many of you here wtf

[murderfishy]

I march mellophone in my school’s marching band and can play four other instruments! I also have ADHD, high-functioning autism, and a few other mental disorders. This is my seventh year being a musician. I can tell you that music is really beneficial. I’m able to focus and concentrate so much better since I started playing. My social skills improved significantly and I’ve made a ton of new friends. It’s also helped me cope a lot with my mental health issues. Music actually feels like I’m so much more mentally present and able to…exist like my peers. It’s a really powerful feeling and I highly recommend learning to play an instrument.

[andrewwebb]

For me it's just been good for my mental health, really helped me, actually care about something for the first time and there's a lot of life lessons that I missed out on and that's something I think you can get from anything. I think getting good at anything can help.