Sonatas and symphonies on the piano are not only sound nice, but they are also relaxing to listen to.
Discoveries by neuroscientists have indicated that listening to and playing piano music helps with better development of certain parts of the brain.
Studies of children exposed to such sounds at a young age show that there are differences in how specific parts of their brains develop over time.
By imaging the brains of people during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, experts found that in their research, people that practiced the piano early on had differences from those who did not.
There were actually variations in nerve tracts that go from the cerebral cortex, the main part of the brain, though the medulla, to the brainstem and spinal cord.
The scans showed that the brain matter was more organized in these pathways in kids that practiced the piano.
The coatings of nerves were also better formed, it was found, providing more insulation that enables impulses to travel faster.
This makes the nerves especially more efficient at transferring signals from the brain to fingers, an essential trait for playing the piano and especially fast paced parts of classical pieces, for example.
Musical training seems to affect other areas of the brain as well.
The corpus callosum is the area in between the two hemispheres of the brain and where a lot of information is transferred between the two halves.
A study showed that this section is thicker in musicians than non-musicians and in people that had music training when young.
This enhanced connection is thought to maybe speed the communication from one half of the brain to another, so it could improve motor control, better connect areas of emotion and memory, and allow for more efficient control of the fingers while playing.
Other researchers proved that when children of preschool age practiced piano music, there was an increase in spatial reasoning ability.
This capacity in turn affects mathematical reasoning.
The connections between brain neurons appear to be strengthened by listening to and practicing.
All brain signals are transmitted between the edges of neurons, or brain cells that are specialized for ultimately sending signals to the nerves in the body.
Non musicians are not necessarily at a disadvantage when it comes to being able to perform certain actions.
People instructed to make certain finger movements in a study were able to do so whether they played the piano or not, but there was more activity detected in the brains of musicians.
Overall, the various studies show that piano music seems to increase the efficiency of the brain to transmit nerve signals and improves motor coordination and cognitive reasoning.
In young children, the brain is more able to develop in critical parts, so it is believed that the changes brought on by music training can be permanent, but that has not yet been proven.
It is still not known that if someone stops playing altogether, the changes seen in the corpus callosum would be permanent, or if the person would always have to play to keep their brain in shape, like when working out to build muscle.
All the research put together suggests there are benefits to brain development by playing piano music, so it seems musical training is vital to the education of young children.
Mathematics and certain sciences can be difficult for some to understand.
Music may assist in the ability to comprehend math skills.
There is always the satisfaction one has when they possess a musical skill.
At the very least, the enjoyment of listening to music and having an outlet of creativity are things that provide an advantage to the quality of life for anyone.