Benefits of Playing the Piano
It’s good for your physical health
Regular piano playing offers different physical and physiological advantages to players. It sharpens fine motor skills, improves dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Music has also been shown to reduce heart and respiratory rates, cardiac complications, and to lower blood pressure and increase immune response. Playing the piano also makes your hands and arm muscles much stronger than the average person.
Improved Aural Awareness
Do you have a naturally musical ear, or are you tone deaf? Playing the piano can improve your overall aural awareness no matter where you fall in this range. Playing the piano teach you to recognize tones, intervals, and chords as well as helping you to develop a sense of pitch. And it doesn’t matter how young or old you start! No matter your age, playing the piano and taking piano lessons helps to improve your aural awareness.
Is aural awareness important anywhere other than music? Yes! Good aural awareness makes it easier to identify and understand sound patterns of foreign languages, can fight dyslexia while it is still developing, and can help you if you have trouble hearing when there is a lot of background noise.
Human Growth Hormones (HgH)
(From WebMd) Human growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland. It triggers growth in children and adolescents. It also helps to regulate body composition, body fluids, muscle and bone growth, sugar and fat metabolism, and possibly heart function. Studies show that students who take piano lessons had increased levels of HgH in their system. This is a positive side effect of taking piano lessons because growth hormones help keep energy levels up and prevent aches and pains in old age.
Constructive Criticism
Students of the piano get lots of positive feedback as well as constructive criticism from their teachers. Receiving criticism is never fun, but when offered gently and in small increments over time, it prepares the student to accept feedback in a positive way. This ability to respond to, and learn from, criticism carries over to other aspects of daily life, such as school, work, and relationships.
Live a More Beautiful Life
Ok, this benefit is definitely more subjective than the others, but hear us out! Music is incredibly powerful, and piano music, in particular, can bring out strong emotions in both the listener and player. The piano was designed to reflect human emotion and feeling, so it’s no wonder that people react strongly with joy, sorrow, and wonder.
And the wonderful thing about piano music is that you can share it with your family and friends! Music is a language that crosses all barriers of age, ethnicity, etc. It is a wonderful way of bringing together the larger community, as well as smaller groups of family and friends.
