{"id":247,"date":"2019-09-12T21:52:15","date_gmt":"2019-09-12T21:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/steinwaypianogalleries.com\/blog\/?p=247"},"modified":"2019-09-12T21:52:15","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T21:52:15","slug":"train-your-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/steinwaypianogalleries.com\/blog\/train-your-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"Train Your Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"content__head content__head--article tonal__head tonal__head--tone-feature\">\n<div class=\"content__labels content__labels--not-immersive\n\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"content__series-label content__label\n          \"><a class=\"content__label__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/education\/series\/use-your-head\"><span class=\"label__link-wrapper\">Use your head<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"content__section-label content__label\"><a class=\"content__label__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/education\/students\" data-link-name=\"article section\"><span class=\"label__link-wrapper\">Students<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content__headline-standfirst-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"content__header tonal__header\">\n<div class=\"u-cf\">\n<h1 class=\"content__headline \">Want to &#8216;train your brain&#8217;? Forget apps, learn a musical instrument<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tonal__standfirst u-cf\">\n<div class=\"content__standfirst\" data-link-name=\"standfirst\" data-component=\"standfirst\">\n<p>Musical training can have a dramatic impact on your brain\u2019s structure, enhancing your memory, spatial reasoning and language skills<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content__meta-container content__meta-container--twitter js-content-meta u-cf\n    \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"meta__contact-wrap\">\n<p class=\"byline\" data-link-name=\"byline\" data-component=\"meta-byline\"><a class=\"tone-colour\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/profile\/mo-costandi\" rel=\"author\" data-link-name=\"auto tag link\">Mo Costandi<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"meta__twitter meta__contact-method\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mocost\" data-link-name=\"twitter-handle\" data-component=\"meta-twitter-handle\"><span class=\"inline-twitter-bird inline-icon i-left\">\u00a0<\/span>@mocost<\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"content__dateline\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><time class=\"content__dateline-wpd js-wpd content__dateline-wpd--modified\" datetime=\"2016-10-24T05:03:12-0400\" data-timestamp=\"1477299792000\">Mon 24 Oct 2016\u00a0<span class=\"content__dateline-time\">05.03\u00a0EDT<\/span><\/time><time class=\"content__dateline-lm js-lm u-h\" datetime=\"2017-07-24T10:04:11-0400\" data-timestamp=\"1500905051000\">Last modified on Mon 24 Jul 2017\u00a0<span class=\"content__dateline-time\">10.04\u00a0EDT<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"meta__extras\">\n<div class=\"meta__social\" data-component=\"share\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"meta__numbers\">\n<div class=\"meta__number js-sharecount\" title=\"Facebook: 65539\">\n<div class=\"sharecount__heading\"><span class=\"sharecount__text u-h\">Shares<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"sharecount__value sharecount__value--short\">66k<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"meta__number\" data-commentcount-format=\"content\" data-discussion-closed=\"false\">\n<h3 class=\"commentcount2__heading\"><span class=\"commentcount2__text u-h\">Comments<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a class=\"commentcount2 tone-colour\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/education\/2016\/oct\/24\/want-to-train-your-brain-forget-apps-learn-a-musical-instrument?fbclid=IwAR3I5yJkeeGZ6U31zMmkLIZE6mF26TJsXCSTlSs_MdgADcyJ-TJSHXOijWM#comments\" data-link-name=\"Comment count\" aria-label=\"46 comments\"><span class=\"commentcount2__value tone-colour js_commentcount_actualvalue\">46<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure id=\"img-1\" class=\"media-primary media-content ()  \" data-component=\"image\" data-media-id=\"c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\/8_5_2470_1482\/master\/2470.jpg?width=620&amp;quality=45&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;dpr=2&amp;s=8ae4195f72c4f90206a20d7af96c8ae9 1240w\" media=\"(min-width: 980px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1.25), (min-width: 980px) and (min-resolution: 120dpi)\" sizes=\"620px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\/8_5_2470_1482\/master\/2470.jpg?width=620&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=6d173341eefcfbd5605de0c69a1521b1 620w\" media=\"(min-width: 980px)\" sizes=\"620px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\/8_5_2470_1482\/master\/2470.jpg?width=700&amp;quality=45&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;dpr=2&amp;s=31965f80ed1cb2278894849e7da82d18 1400w\" media=\"(min-width: 740px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1.25), (min-width: 740px) and (min-resolution: 120dpi)\" sizes=\"700px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\/8_5_2470_1482\/master\/2470.jpg?width=700&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=cfc2fbc908b2971f19890d1b57286ddd 700w\" media=\"(min-width: 740px)\" sizes=\"700px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\/8_5_2470_1482\/master\/2470.jpg?width=620&amp;quality=45&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;dpr=2&amp;s=8ae4195f72c4f90206a20d7af96c8ae9 1240w\" media=\"(min-width: 660px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1.25), (min-width: 660px) and (min-resolution: 120dpi)\" sizes=\"620px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\/8_5_2470_1482\/master\/2470.jpg?width=620&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=6d173341eefcfbd5605de0c69a1521b1 620w\" media=\"(min-width: 660px)\" sizes=\"620px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\/8_5_2470_1482\/master\/2470.jpg?width=645&amp;quality=45&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;dpr=2&amp;s=b389f66af210f5f4bdf6532c751e188f 1290w\" media=\"(min-width: 480px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1.25), (min-width: 480px) and (min-resolution: 120dpi)\" sizes=\"645px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\/8_5_2470_1482\/master\/2470.jpg?width=645&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=867177603d51a220820792a86194aaf9 645w\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" sizes=\"645px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\/8_5_2470_1482\/master\/2470.jpg?width=465&amp;quality=45&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;dpr=2&amp;s=ba295183dcbc0fa7f93ad2d22dd0c1db 930w\" media=\"(min-width: 0px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1.25), (min-width: 0px) and (min-resolution: 120dpi)\" sizes=\"465px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\/8_5_2470_1482\/master\/2470.jpg?width=465&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=03fb8d7aefec857100c8cbe9ee9bac88 465w\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" sizes=\"465px\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"maxed responsive-img\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c2b761f170cc031b3e2339300734bade478145dd\/8_5_2470_1482\/master\/2470.jpg?width=300&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=0fa3607157b0d37d4a836e0e8bd0c9f6\" alt=\"\u2018Music probably does something unique. It stimulates the brain in a very powerful way, because of our emotional connection with it.\u2019\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"caption caption--main caption--img\"><span class=\"inline-triangle inline-icon hide-until-tablet\">\u00a0<\/span>\u2018Music probably does something unique. It stimulates the brain in a very powerful way, because of our emotional connection with it.\u2019 Illustration:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sophiewolfson.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Sophie Wolfson<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"content__article-body from-content-api js-article__body\" data-test-id=\"article-review-body\">\n<p><span class=\"drop-cap\"><span class=\"drop-cap__inner\">T<\/span><\/span>he multimillion dollar brain training industry is under attack. In October 2014, a group of over 100 eminent neuroscientists and psychologists wrote an open letter warning that \u201cclaims promoting brain games are frequently exaggerated and at times misleading\u201d. Earlier this year, industry giant\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2016\/jan\/06\/lumosity-fined-false-claims-brain-training-online-games-mental-health\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Lumosity was fined $2m<\/a>, and ordered to refund thousands of customers who were duped by false claims that the company\u2019s products improve general mental abilities and slow the progression of age-related decline in mental abilities. And\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/m.psi.sagepub.com\/content\/17\/3\/103\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a recent review<\/a>\u00a0examining studies purporting to show the benefits of such products found \u201clittle evidence &#8230; that training improves improves everyday cognitive performance\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>While brain training games and apps may not live up to their hype, it is well established that certain other\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/neurophilosophy\/2014\/sep\/22\/the-neuroprotective-lifestyle\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">activities and lifestyle choices<\/a>\u00a0can have neurological benefits that promote overall brain health and may help to keep the mind sharp as we get older. One of these is musical training. Research shows that learning to play a musical instrument is beneficial for children and adults alike, and may even be helpful to patients recovering from brain injuries.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 1\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item rich-link--pillar-news\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/a923b591ff1e438fdee069f89cd9c8d1be484b3b\/1_0_3507_2104\/master\/3507.jpg?width=460&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=2a95591e0d1f97c8971d29c3cbdbdf36\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__header\">\n<h2 class=\"rich-link__title\"><a class=\"rich-link__link\">Competition: tell us your innovative transport idea\u2026 and win an iPadPro<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__arrow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cMusic probably does something unique,\u201d explains neuropsychologist Catherine Loveday of the University of Westminster. \u201cIt stimulates the brain in a very powerful way, because of our emotional connection with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Playing a musical instrument is a rich and complex experience that involves integrating information from the senses of vision, hearing, and touch, as well as fine movements, and learning to do so can induce long-lasting changes in the brain. Professional musicians are highly skilled performers who spend years training, and they provide a natural laboratory in which neuroscientists can study how such changes \u2013 referred to as\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/mitpress.mit.edu\/books\/neuroplasticity\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">experience-dependent plasticity<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 occur\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2996135\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">across their lifespan<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 2\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-feature--item rich-link--pillar-news\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/25099c04900a788b559a5755616b5ef7b18e8d68\/20_17_2897_1739\/master\/2897.jpg?width=460&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=51f8fc18dcc857b46571bc817e2b9477\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__header\">\n<h2 class=\"rich-link__title\"><a class=\"rich-link__link\">Is the internet killing our brains?<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__arrow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<h2>Changes in brain structure<\/h2>\n<p>Early brain scanning studies revealed significant differences in brain structure between musicians and non-musicians of the same age. For example, the corpus callosum, a massive bundle of nerve fibres connecting the two sides of the brain, is\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.musicianbrain.com\/papers\/Schlaug_CCallosum_1995b.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">significantly larger in musicians<\/a>. The brain areas involved in movement,\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nature.com\/nature\/journal\/v392\/n6678\/full\/392811a0.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">hearing<\/a>, and visuo-spatial abilities also appear to be\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jneurosci.org\/content\/23\/27\/9240.full\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">larger in professional keyboard players<\/a>. And, the area devoted to processing touch sensations from the left hand is\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/public.wsu.edu\/~fournier\/Teaching\/psych592\/Readings\/Elbert_et_al_2005.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">increased in violinists<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"dfp-ad--inline1\" class=\"js-ad-slot ad-slot ad-slot--inline ad-slot--inline1 ad-slot--rendered\" data-link-name=\"ad slot inline1\" data-name=\"inline1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-mobile=\"1,1|2,2|300,197|300,250|300,274|fluid\" data-phablet=\"1,1|2,2|300,197|300,250|300,274|620,350|fluid\" data-desktop=\"1,1|2,2|300,250|300,274|620,1|620,350|fluid\" data-google-query-id=\"CKKon4GizOQCFQN2wQodzh4Nvg\">\n<div class=\"ad-slot__label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/59666047\/theguardian.com\/education\/article\/ng_6__container__\" class=\"ad-slot__content\"><iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/59666047\/theguardian.com\/education\/article\/ng_6\" title=\"3rd party ad content\" name=\"google_ads_iframe_\/59666047\/theguardian.com\/education\/article\/ng_6\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-google-container-id=\"5\" data-load-complete=\"true\" data-integralas-id-6162818c-d9df-61b3-21fe-e16ba985309c=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>These studies compared data from different groups of people at one point in time. As such, they could not determine whether the observed differences were actually caused by musical training, or if existing anatomical differences predispose some to become musicians. But later, longitudinal studies that track people over time have shown that young children who do 14 months of musical training exhibit significant\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.musicianbrain.com\/papers\/Hyde_MusicTraining_BrainPlasticity_nyas_04852.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">structural<\/a>\u00a0(pdf) and\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.musicianbrain.com\/papers\/Schlaug_Music_Child_Brain_NYAS2005.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">functional brain changes<\/a>\u00a0(pdf) compared to those who do not.<\/p>\n<p>Together, these studies show that learning to play a musical instrument not only increases grey matter volume in various brain regions, but can also strengthen the long-range connections between them. Other research shows that\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nature.com\/nature\/journal\/v396\/n6707\/abs\/396128a0.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">musical training also enhances verbal memory<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.artsedsearch.org\/summaries\/learning-to-make-music-enhances-spatial-reasoning\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">spatial reasoning<\/a>, and\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4664655\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">literacy skills<\/a>, such that professional musicians usually outperform non-musicians on these abilities.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Long-lasting benefits for musicians<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Importantly, the brain scanning studies show that the extent of anatomical change in musicians\u2019 brains is closely related to the age at which musical training began, and the intensity of training. Those who started training at the youngest age showed the largest changes when compared to non-musicians.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-pullquote element--supporting\"><span class=\"inline-garnett-quote inline-icon \">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"pullquote-paragraph\">Music reaches parts of the brain that other things can\u2019t<\/p>\n<footer><cite class=\"pullquote-cite\">Catherine Loveday, University of Westminster<\/cite><\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Even short periods of musical training in early childhood can have long-lasting benefits. In\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/jneurosci.org\/content\/33\/45\/17667.full\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">one 2013 study<\/a>, for example, researchers recruited 44 older adults and divided them into three groups based on the level of formal musical training they had received as children. Participants in one group had received no training at all; those in the second had done a little training, defined as between one and three years of lessons; and those in the third had received moderate levels of training (four to 14 years).<\/p>\n<p>The researchers played recordings of complex speech sounds to the participants, and used scalp electrodes to measure the timing of neural responses in a part of the auditory brainstem. As we age, the precision of this timing deteriorates, making it difficult to understand speech, especially in environments with a lot of background noise. Participants who had received moderate amounts of musical training exhibited\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jneurosci.org\/content\/33\/45\/17667.full\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">the fastest neural responses<\/a>, suggesting that even limited training in childhood can preserve sharp processing of speech sounds and increase resilience to age-related decline in hearing.<\/p>\n<div id=\"dfp-ad--inline2\" class=\"js-ad-slot ad-slot ad-slot--inline ad-slot--offset-right ad-slot--inline2 ad-slot--rendered\" data-link-name=\"ad slot inline2\" data-name=\"inline2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-mobile=\"1,1|2,2|300,197|300,250|300,274|fluid\" data-phablet=\"1,1|2,2|300,197|300,250|300,274|620,350|fluid\" data-desktop=\"1,1|2,2|300,250|300,274|620,1|620,350|fluid|300,600|160,600\" data-google-query-id=\"CI_KtYOizOQCFc9mwQodOvkHEg\">\n<div class=\"ad-slot__label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/59666047\/theguardian.com\/education\/article\/ng_7__container__\" class=\"ad-slot__content\"><iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/59666047\/theguardian.com\/education\/article\/ng_7\" title=\"3rd party ad content\" name=\"google_ads_iframe_\/59666047\/theguardian.com\/education\/article\/ng_7\" width=\"300\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-google-container-id=\"6\" data-integralas-id-d5253d2a-196a-6f77-f4ff-138178c4cc12=\"\" data-load-complete=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>More recently, it has become clear that musical training facilitates the\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/17260171\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">rehabilitation of patients recovering from stroke<\/a>\u00a0and other forms of brain damage, and some researchers now argue that it might also\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4411999\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">boost speech processing and learning in children with dyslexia<\/a>\u00a0and other language impairments. What\u2019s more, the benefits of musical training seem to persist for many years, or even decades, and the picture that emerges from this all evidence is that learning to play a musical instrument in childhood\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4269311\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">protects the brain against the development of cognitive impairment and dementia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-feature--item rich-link--pillar-news\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c212ce1a5f97eac5aec2dce22d5ad585d8afd97a\/9_9_2928_1757\/2928.jpg?width=460&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=7b4aba70fdf98d41c346b7f7820f5f4e\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__header\">\n<h2 class=\"rich-link__title\"><a class=\"rich-link__link\">Do our brains have extraordinary untapped powers?<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__arrow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Unlike commercial brain training products, which only improve performance on the skills involved, musical training has what psychologists refer to as transfer effects \u2013 in other words, learning to play a musical instrument seems to have a far broader effect on the brain and mental function, and improves other abilities that are seemingly unrelated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMusic reaches parts of the brain that other things can\u2019t,\u201d says Loveday. \u201cIt\u2019s a strong cognitive stimulus that grows the brain in a way that nothing else does, and the evidence that musical training enhances things like working memory and language is very robust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Learning to play a musical instrument, then, seems to be one of the most effective forms of brain training there is. Musical training can induce various structural and functional changes in the brain, depending on which instrument is being learned, and the intensity of the training regime. It\u2019s an example of how dramatically life-long experience can alter the brain so that it becomes adapted to the idiosyncrasies of its owner\u2019s lifestyle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Use your head Students Want to &#8216;train your brain&#8217;? Forget apps, learn a musical instrument Musical training can have a dramatic impact on your brain\u2019s structure, enhancing your memory, spatial reasoning and language skills Mo Costandi \u00a0@mocost Mon 24 Oct 2016\u00a005.03\u00a0EDTLast modified on Mon 24 Jul 2017\u00a010.04\u00a0EDT Shares 66k Comments 46 \u00a0\u2018Music probably does something [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Train Your Brain - Steinway Piano Galleries Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/steinwaypianogalleries.com\/blog\/train-your-brain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Train Your Brain - Steinway Piano Galleries Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Use your head Students Want to &#8216;train your brain&#8217;? 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