Playing Music Makes Us Smarter - Whooda Thunk It!

[lbpesq]

It turns out that playing a musical instrument actually makes you smarter!   check it out  
 
Bill, tgo

[slawie]

Thanks for sharing that Bill
I do also notice little cartoon man is playing the bass  
I will show this to my wife when she complains about
me spending too much time practising.  
Thanks for the ammo!
slawie

[sonicus]

I like that Bill , Thanks

[keith_h]

There were some studies ten years ago, if not longer, that showed playing an instrument or singing in a formal environment helped improve math skills in low performing students. The improvement was seen in areas such as algebra along with areas such as geometry and trigonometry. Which leads me to all of these people who complain that our kids aren't learning anything yet they take away the very classes that help them to succeed.  
 
Another area that has been shown to be helpful is visual arts. By taking classes it helps the student learn to visualize a concept which proves very useful when you get into the sciences.
 
Keith

[edwardofhuncote]

Well... that may be so, but it hasn't done much for my financial portfolio. :hiding: I suppose there's some consolation in knowing why I'm smart, but poor nonetheless. =)
 
Interestingly enough, (and seriously) my Dad told me years ago, back when I was a struggling math student, that playing music would help. Soon afterward, I started playing bass. If it helped, I wasn't completely aware of it, because then, all I wanted to do was play bass. I did eventually beat the mental block to calc/trig, and began to excel with arithmatic.

[peoplechipper]

I have a very concrete example of how playing music improves the brain; years ago(about 25) I tried to get my motorcycle licence, taking a course; I didn't pass, as I needed way more practice with shifting (I'm a long-time cyclist so handling was no problem but the clutch-throttle-shifter with foot thing was a bit weird), I played a bit at that time but very rarely; 10 years later I bought a motorcycle and the shifting thing was no problem-the difference was I'd been playing guitar in bands and now had way better limb independence; lord knows what kinda neural pathways a drummer has...Tony