Music Tunes-Up Your Brain Power "making music is a head-start to longevity" Professor David Demko, PhD AgeVenture News Service It's that time again. No, I don't mean sending the kids back to school. I'm talking about doing some body-work on your 50-plus frame. Starting from the top ... your brain. September is Healthy Aging Month, celebrating the positive aspects of growing older (yes, there are few positive aspects). Getting fit isn't just about your muscles and heart strength. It's also about boosting your brain power. What scientists call your cognitive skills: memory, learning, and thinking. “People are not only living longer, they want to remain healthy and active for as long as possible,” says Making Music’s Editor-in-Chief Antoinette Follett. “Plus, there is an increasing focus in the medical community on the need to keep the brain as healthy as the body. Experts believe that in order to maintain a healthy brain, the gray matter should be exercised as regularly and as rigorously as the heart. In order to keep the brain sharp, it’s crucial to maintain strong social ties with friends and family, to avoid stress, to maintain a purpose to life even after retirement, and to continue to learn new and complex skills. There is an activity that can roll all of these recommendations into one. Those of you who already enjoy taking piano lessons as part of a group, or strumming a guitar as you sing lullabies to your grandchildren, already know about music making’s lifelong wellness benefits. Those who need more convincing, Follett asks you to consider the following: Link between making music and reduced risk to cognitive disorders is discussed in a 21-year medical study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Music making is used to combat burnout and increase productivity in the corporate world, among long-term care nurses and executives. Music making is used in palliative care Parkinson’s disease is known to respond to music therapy. A long-term study of 3,500 people with an artistic activity reported fewer doctor visits, less medication, fewer falls, less depression, and higher morale. Those interested in learning more about this area of gerontological study may want to read Dr. Gene Cohen's “The Mature Mind" (Basic Books, 2006). "Any activity that optimally uses both the right and left hemispheres is like chocolate to the brain,” says Cohen. “A creative activity such as playing music is a good example of what mature minds find fulfilling.” It’s no wonder older Americans are taking piano lessons, joining community bands, and picking up their guitars in ever increasing numbers. They are discovering that music making not only is a boon to their health but that it’s a great way to meet people, and even a perfect excuse to get away. "Making music is a great opportunity to travel and catch up with musical buddies,” says Judy Schmift, 59, of Atlanta, Georgia, a research coordinator at Emory University. "I’ve made too many great friends and had too many positive experiences to stop making music now!" Adds Dr. Mary Miett, a physician from East Haddam, Connecticut, "Making music is really unlike anything else I do in my life. It's not pressured, and it's tangible—I get real benefits from it.” Where can you learn more about recreational music making? "Making Music" is a lifestyle magazine for adult musicians that promotes the hobby’s physical, psychological, and social benefits. The magazine and its companion website www.makingmusicmag.com feature the latest news about music making and health, inspirational stories, and much more. Readers can request a FREE one-year subscription of the magazine. Here's my point. "Making music is a head-start to longevity." Consider all those rough-living, yet long living musicians. The popstars of the 60's still touring, and those who stopped are now planning revival tours. Sixty-plus guitarist, Keith Richards is one Rolling Stone who keeps on rolling and rolling until the music stops. BACK TO TOP