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Can Playing Music Actually Make You Healthier?
What Science Actually Tells Us About the Benefits of Learning a musical Instrument
Throughout my years of playing music, working with musicians, and teaching students of very different ages and backgrounds, I have noticed how music has different effects of influences on different people.
Some people listen to music every day. Some sing without even realizing it. Others dance, collect records, go to concerts, or simply have a particular song that brings back a very specific memory.
Music is deeply connected to being human.
But this made me wonder about something more specific:
Is music itself beneficial to our health? And does actively learning to play a musical instrument provide benefits that are different from simply listening to music?
This question has been in the back of my mind for a long time.
I once had a very talented pianist friend who repeatedly told me about the fascinating effects she believed playing piano had on the brain. Her comments made me curious, particularly about instruments that require substantial physical coordination, such as drums and guitar.
We already know that there is considerable research into how listening to music can affect mood, stress, pain perception and emotional wellbeing. But what happens when we are not simply listening? What happens when we are the ones creating the music?
I decided to look into the research.
A small disclaimer before we begin
I should make one thing very clear.
I am a musician, music producer and music educator but I am not a doctor, neuroscientist or medical professional. My expertise in this area is limited.
What follows is therefore not medical advice or a claim that playing an instrument can treat or prevent a particular medical condition.
Instead, I have gathered research and material from scientific publications, universities, medical and neuroscience sources, and established organizations to explore what we currently know.
And the findings are genuinely fascinating.
Let’s play a musical instrument!
Let's begin with the bigger picture. Learning an instrument is an unusually complex activity.
When you play, you are not simply producing a sound. Your brain may simultaneously be processing what you hear, controlling precise physical movements, remembering information, reading visual material, anticipating what comes next, maintaining timing, making decisions and responding emotionally to the music.
In other words, playing music is both a physical and cognitive activity.
Research into musical training has associated it with improvements in areas including memory, attention, executive function, sensory integration and problem-solving. Learning an instrument also requires us to create and strengthen connections between sensory and motor systems in the brain. Your brain is doing a lot more than you think
Consider what happens when you learn a new song.
You might have to remember a chord progression, read a rhythm, locate a note on the instrument, coordinate both hands, listen to your timing, monitor the dynamics and simultaneously think about what comes next.
That is a considerable amount of information to process.
Playing an instrument therefore engages several cognitive functions at the same time, including:
Working memory, holding musical information in your mind while performing it.
Attention, concentrating on your own playing, the music and, when playing with others, what everyone else is doing.
Executive function, planning, organizing, monitoring progress and making decisions.
Spatial reasoning, understanding the physical layout of an instrument, such as a keyboard or guitar fretboard.
Sensory integration, combining auditory, visual and physical information.
Problem solving, figuring out how to overcome technical and musical challenges.
Cognitive control, regulating attention, decisions and physical responses.
These demands may help explain why musical training is associated with changes in the brain and improvements in certain cognitive abilities.
Neuroplasticity: the brain that keeps adapting
One of the most interesting concepts here is neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize and adapt by forming or strengthening neural connections.
Learning a new musical skill requires repeated interaction between perception and movement. You hear something, interpret it, decide what to do, move your body, hear the result, evaluate it and adjust. Then you do it again. And again. And again.
This process creates opportunities for the brain to strengthen the pathways involved in the skill. Research on musical training has found evidence of changes in brain structure and function, including changes related to sensory-motor processing.
There is also evidence suggesting that musical training may provide benefits that extend well beyond childhood. Research summarized in the material I reviewed has associated musical training with cognitive functioning and with the preservation of certain aspects of auditory processing later in life.
This doesn't mean that learning an instrument is a guaranteed protection against dementia or cognitive decline. But it does make one thing very interesting:
Your brain doesn't stop learning simply because you are an adult.
What About Mental and Emotional Health?
There is another side to playing music that is perhaps easier for musicians to understand intuitively.
Sometimes you pick up an instrument because you want to practice.
Other times, you pick it up because you need to.
Playing music can become a way of focusing your attention on something happening in the present moment rather than constantly thinking about the past or worrying about the future.
This is one reason music-making has been associated with stress reduction, emotional expression and wellbeing.
Music gives us somewhere to put our emotions. You don't necessarily need to write a sad song when you're sad. Sometimes simply playing is enough.
The physical act of producing sound, concentrating on rhythm and melody, and expressing something without necessarily having to explain it verbally can provide a valuable outlet.
Music is also inherently social. Playing with another person requires listening, timing, cooperation and communication. Group music-making can create social bonds and a sense of community, potentially helping combat loneliness and supporting emotional wellbeing.
And there is something particularly satisfying about learning a difficult skill.
That chord you couldn't play last month? That riff you thought was impossible? The rhythm that kept falling apart? Eventually, you get it.
That sense of achievement can build confidence and reinforce persistence.
Learning guitar, for example, has been associated with developing patience, discipline, confidence, creativity and emotional expression, particularly in children and young learners.
So, What Makes Drumming Different?
This is where things get particularly interesting for me.
I have played and taught several instruments, but drums are unusual because they combine music, movement, coordination and physical exercise to such a degree.
A drummer isn't simply playing with two hands.
Depending on the style and technique, all four limbs may be performing different actions while the brain has to maintain a coherent rhythmic structure.
And somehow, everything has to happen at the right time.
Drumming and the brain
Research presented by the Royal Society describes drumming as a complex activity involving the coordination of multiple limbs to create rhythmic sound. Learning to drum has been associated with improvements in concentration, impulse control and restlessness, with particular interest in its potential relevance to neurodiverse populations.
What makes this even more fascinating is that researchers have actually been able to observe changes in the brain following drum training.
One study examined 36 autistic adolescents, randomly divided into a drum-training group and a control group. The drum group received individual 45-minute lessons twice a week for eight weeks. The results were remarkable.
After the training period, the drumming group showed improvements in timing accuracy and reductions in measures of hyperactivity and inattention compared with the control group. Brain imaging also revealed increased functional connectivity in regions involved in inhibitory control, attention and self-regulation.
The researchers concluded that the intervention provided evidence that drumming can influence both behavioral outcomes and brain function in this population.
That doesn't mean that drumming should be considered a treatment for autism or ADHD.
It does, however, demonstrate something incredibly interesting:
Learning a rhythmically and physically demanding skill can be associated with measurable changes in how the brain functions.
Drumming is also physical exercise
Watch a rock drummer performing live. They are moving. Their arms are moving. Their legs are moving. Their breathing changes. They sweat.
Rock drumming can be physically demanding enough to produce energy expenditure comparable to other forms of vigorous physical activity. Research cited by the Royal Society describes the physical demands of rock drumming and notes that performers can experience substantial cardiovascular and metabolic demands during performance.
Research cited by Drumeo also reports estimates of approximately 400–600 calories burned during an hour of vigorous drumming, although actual energy expenditure will obviously depend on the drummer, playing style and intensity.
But you don't need to play extreme metal at 220 BPM to benefit.
The more interesting point is that drumming combines physical movement with cognitive demands. Your body is exercising while your brain is solving problems.
Drumming, Focus and the Present Moment
There is another reason I think drumming is particularly fascinating.
Rhythm forces you to be present. If you are playing a basic groove with a metronome, you cannot spend the next thirty seconds worrying about tomorrow while still maintaining perfect time. Your attention has to come back to the beat. This is one reason drumming has been compared with mindfulness practices.
The process of concentrating deeply on rhythmic patterns can help reduce mental distraction and encourage a state of focused attention.
And there is a beautiful irony here:
The drummer may be making a lot of noise while simultaneously experiencing a very focused mental state.
What About Guitar?
Guitar is obviously very different from drums.
It is generally less physically demanding, but it requires an extraordinary amount of fine motor control. Think about playing a simple chord.
One hand has to position several fingers accurately on the fretboard while the other hand produces the appropriate strings and rhythm.
Now add chord changes. Then a melody. Then singing. Then reading music. Then improvisation.
The complexity increases very quickly.
Fine motor skills and coordination
The precise movements involved in manipulating strings and frets can develop finger dexterity, hand-eye coordination and fine motor control, particularly in children who are learning the instrument.
But guitar also has another advantage:
It is remarkably accessible. You can sit alone with an acoustic guitar and play for five minutes. You can practice silently with headphones on an electric guitar. You can play around a campfire.
You can join a band. You can write songs. You can accompany yourself while singing.
You can improvise. You can spend your entire life exploring the instrument and still discover something new.
Guitar and wellbeing
Research and surveys cited in the material show that many people pick up guitar not because they want to become famous musicians, but because they want a new life skill, self-improvement, creative expression or simply the ability to play songs they love.
Fender's research, for example, found that 72% of respondents said they initially picked up guitar to gain a life skill or as a form of self-betterment, while many others simply wanted to play for themselves, friends or family.
That tells us something important. You don't need to become a professional musician for music to have value in your life.
In fact, you don't even need to become particularly good. The process itself can be valuable.
Listening to Music vs. Making Music
This may be the most important distinction in this entire article.
Listening to music can certainly have powerful effects.
Research has associated music listening with reduced stress and anxiety, changes in physiological stress responses and reduced distress in certain medical situations.
But playing music is an active process. When you play an instrument, you are not just hearing sound.
You are:
hearing → processing → deciding → moving → producing sound → listening → evaluating → adjusting.
And then the cycle repeats.
This means music-making engages auditory, motor, sensory and cognitive systems simultaneously. The material reviewed here suggests that this active engagement may produce cognitive benefits that differ from passive music listening.
That is why I find learning an instrument so fascinating.
It is entertainment. It is education. It is physical coordination. It is problem solving.
It is creativity. It is communication.
And, potentially, it is also a form of exercise for the brain.
Does It Matter Which Instrument You Learn?
Probably, but not necessarily in the way you might think.
I don't believe the evidence allows us to say that one instrument is universally better for your health than another. Different instruments simply challenge the brain and body in different ways. A drummer may experience particularly strong demands on whole-body coordination, timing and motor control.
A guitarist may develop fine motor skills, spatial awareness, coordination and creative expression.
A pianist may simultaneously engage both hands across a large spatial layout while reading complex visual information and coordinating multiple musical lines.
A singer works with breathing, auditory perception, memory, language, physical control and emotional expression. And these are only a few examples.
Perhaps the most important factor is not the instrument itself.
It is whether you genuinely enjoy playing it. Because if you enjoy the instrument, you are far more likely to keep practicing. And consistent engagement is where the real learning happens.
So, Should We All Learn an Instrument?
After going through this research, my answer is quite simple:
If you've always wanted to learn an instrument, there are plenty of good reasons to start.
Don't learn because you think it will magically make you smarter. Don't learn because someone told you it will prevent dementia. Don't learn because you believe you have to become a professional musician. Learn because you want to make something. Learn because you want a new challenge. Learn because you want a creative outlet. Learn because you want to play your favorite songs. Learn because you want to make music with other people.
Or simply learn because you have always wondered what it feels like to hold an instrument and actually make music yourself.
The research increasingly suggests that this process can engage the brain in remarkable ways, support cognitive and emotional wellbeing, develop coordination and, in some cases, provide meaningful physical activity.
But perhaps the most beautiful benefit is one that is difficult to measure scientifically.
You create something that did not exist a few seconds ago.
A rhythm. A chord. A melody. A song. And you made it happen.
For me, after more than two decades of playing and teaching music, that alone remains one of the best reasons to learn.
A Final Thought
When I started looking into this subject, I was expecting to find a simple answer.
Something along the lines of:
"Yes, playing piano is good for your brain."
Instead, I found something much more interesting.
Learning music appears to be a remarkably complex form of human activity that simultaneously challenges our brains, bodies, emotions and social abilities.
And while research is still developing, particularly when it comes to specific instruments and specific medical conditions, the evidence is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
So perhaps we should stop thinking of learning an instrument as merely learning music.
Perhaps we should also think of it as learning how to use our brains and bodies in new ways.
And that is something worth doing at almost any age.
Resources & Further Readings
· University of Essex www.essex.ac.uk/
· National library of Medicine www.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Alain, C., Zendel, B. R., Hutka, S., & Bidelman, G. M. (2014). Turning down the noise: The benefit of musical training on the aging auditory brain. Hearing Research, 308, 162–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2013.06.008
Amer, T., Kalender, B., Hasher, L., Trehub, S. E., & Wong, Y. (2013). Do older professional musicians have cognitive advantages?
Anderson, S., et al. (2012). Research on age-related delays in auditory neural timing.
Dingle, G., et al. (2021). Research on music, social connection, and mental health.
Fender. Illuminating the State of Today's Guitar Players. Research conducted by Fender examining guitar players' motivations, experiences, and relationship with the instrument.
Gaser, C., & Schlaug, G. (2003). Research examining structural brain differences associated with musical training.
Gustavson, D. E., et al. (2021). Research examining musical engagement and mental health.
Hanna-Pladdy, B., & MacKay, A. (2011). Research examining musical training and cognitive functioning in older adults.
Hyde, K. L., et al. (2009). Research examining structural brain changes following musical training in early childhood.
Kraus, N., & Chandrasekaran, B. (2010). Research on musical training and auditory processing.
Magne, C., Schön, D., & Besson, M. (2006). Research examining the effects of musical training on pitch processing in music and spoken language.
Moreno, S., et al. (2011). Short-term music training enhances verbal intelligence and executive function. Psychological Science, 22, 1425–1433. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611416999
Paquette, S., & Mignault Goulet, G. Lifetime benefits of musical training. PMCID: PMC4010741; PMID: 24808819.
Parbery-Clark, A., Anderson, S., Hittner, E., & Kraus, N. (2012). Musical experience offsets age-related delays in neural timing. Neurobiology of Aging, 33, 1483.e1–1483.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.12.015
Rebecchini, L. (2021). Research on music, neurotransmitters, stress, anxiety, and depression.
Schlaug, G., Norton, A., Overy, K., & Winner, E. (2005). Effects of music training on the child's brain and cognitive development. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1060, 219–230. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1360.015
Seinfeld, S., Figueroa, H., Ortiz-Gil, J., & Sanchez-Vives, M. V. (2013). Effects of music learning and piano practice on cognitive function, mood and quality of life in older adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 810. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00810
Skoe, E., & Kraus, N. (2010). Auditory brainstem response to complex sounds: A tutorial. Ear and Hearing, 31, 302–324. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0b013e3181cdb272
White-Schwoch, T., Carr, K. W., Anderson, S., Strait, D. L., & Kraus, N. (2013). Older adults benefit from music training early in life: Biological evidence for long-term training-driven plasticity. Journal of Neuroscience, 33, 17667–17674. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2560-13.2013
Zatorre, R. J., Chen, J. L., & Penhune, V. B. (2007). When the brain plays music: Auditory–motor interactions in music perception and production. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8, 547–558. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2152
Daniel J. Levitin (2013). Research cited in Trends in Cognitive Sciences concerning music, stress, anxiety, heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol.
University of Alberta / Lisa Hartling, PhD. Study involving 42 children aged 3–11 examining music during IV procedures and reported pain and distress.
Drumeo. Material on the physical, mental, and wellbeing-related aspects of drumming, including concentration, mindfulness, physical activity, and group drumming.
Royal Society, London — “Science Behind the Sticks / Drumming for Health and Wellbeing.” Exhibition material concerning drumming, coordination, concentration, impulse control, and restlessness.
Zatorre, R. J., Chen, J. L., & Penhune, V. B. (2007). When the brain plays music: Auditory–motor interactions in music perception and production. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8, 547–558.
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