Hello, how many of you know how to play a musical instrument? I am assuming not many. Well I am going to convince you that every single one of you should learn to play a musical instrument.
Reason number 1: to get smarter
Playing music makes you smarter. And let’s face it, who doesn’t want that mental edge? What happens in your brain when you listen to music? If your brain was being monitored on an MRI machine while you listened to Mozart, there wouldn’t just be a few areas of your brain that would light up. A great many areas would light up. There were literally fireworks going on in your brain. The music gave your brain some pretty good exercise as it deciphered the rhythm, harmony and melody and put it all back together in milliseconds.
What’s more, something more amazing was going on in Mozart’s brain when he made this piece of music for you. Almost every part of his brain lit up; It wasn’t just backyard fireworks, it was a jubilee! It was a full brain workout!
When you make music, your brain goes crazy! The motor, visual and auditory cortices and almost every part of your brain is engaged simultaneously. Therefore, messages travel more quickly, effectively and creatively within the brain.
Multiple studies have found that those who are musically inclined display bigger brain volume and more grey matter than non-musicians. This bigger and better connected brain means improved cognitive function. It means better developed memory system, better language skills, better mathematical and problem solving skills, also higher level of executive function!
Reason number 2: to make more money!
In a research conducted at the University of Zurich, results showed that people who learned how to play musical instruments hiked their IQ points by as much as seven tickers. Now seven points doesn’t sound like much but another recent study showed that you have the potential to earn $700 more per year with every one point increase in IQ. So 7 points means about 5000 dollars.
You wanna make 5000 more per year? Learn to play a musical instrument!
Many of you must be thinking “But I don’t even want to be a professional musician. Besides, to play music, I need to be smart to start with. I need to be talented.” Well, ‘being a musician’ doesn’t at all mean that you have to have a career in music.
And to address the other fear of not being “talented enough”, research shows that newborn babies actually use their music processing networks to listen to their mothers’ voices. They literally hear music.
So don’t let any fears hold you back, we are all musical at birth. It is the experiences and opportunities in life that realize that talent.
Lastly, I am just going to give you one more reason to learn music.
Reason number 3: to be attractive
We all know musicians are “cool”. Are you sick and tired of looking like an idiot when making small talk at parties? Do you want to make new friends? Do you want a date? If yes, then you should really think about learning music.