5 Music Facts That Will Blow Your Mind (And Make You Pick Up an Instrument)

As a studio that’s worked with over 1000 students, we see the impact music has on people’s lives every day. But in this blog, we’re going to put that aside and strictly look at what’s backed by neuroscience and decades of research. 

Here’s 5 strong, research-backed music facts that might just change how you think about playing an instrument.
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Spoiler: music might not do your laundry or help your kid eat vegetables but it certainly gives you an advantage!

1. Your Brain Lights Up Like a Christmas Tree When You Play Music

Fact: Playing an instrument activates more areas of the brain at once than any other known activity, including areas tied to memory, movement, hearing, and emotion.

Why It Matters
Over 2,000 years ago, Plato recognized the power of music and today, neuroscience is proving him right. When a person reads music, coordinates both hands, listens for pitch, and expresses feeling (all at the same time), they’re developing complex multitasking abilities that strengthen the brain’s executive function. This kind of mental workout helps children and adults become better problem-solvers, more adaptable learners, and more emotionally regulated individuals. It’s no wonder researchers often refer to music as “cognitive cross-training.” 
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“I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning..” – Plato

​2. Musical Training Improves Working Memory and Executive Function

Fact: Children engaged in consistent musical training demonstrated significantly stronger development in working memory and attention compared to their peers. These are critical skills tied to academic success, reading comprehension, and long-term cognitive flexibility.

Why It Matters
Working memory is what helps children follow multi-step instructions, solve problems, and retain new information. These are skills they rely on every day at school. Musical training strengthens these abilities by requiring the brain to coordinate sound, timing, movement, and memory all at once. Albert Einstein once said, “The theory of relativity occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind this intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perception.” He was describing how music shaped the way he solved complex problems, using intuition, creativity, and logic.  

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“The theory of relativity occurred to me by intuition, and music is the driving force behind this intuition.” – Albert Einstein

​3. Musicians Have Better Language and Listening Skills

Fact: Music training enhances the brain’s ability to process pitch and sound. These skills are closely tied to reading fluency and learning languages.
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Why It Matters
When someone learns to distinguish musical tones, rhythms, and phrasing, they’re also enhancing their ability to detect subtle changes in spoken language. This strengthens early literacy and can help close gaps in speech processing. Music creates better listeners, and better listeners become more effective communicators. Yo-Yo Ma’s words capture this perfectly: “Music enhances the education of our children by helping them to make connections and broadening the depth with which they think and feel.” Those "connections" aren't just emotional, they're also a result of neurological growth. Music is helping the brain build pathways that support reading comprehension, auditory memory, and language fluency.

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“Music enhances the education of our children by helping them to make connections and broadening the depth with which they think and feel.” – Yo-Yo Ma

​4. Playing An Instrument Helps the Body Recover From Stress

Fact: A peer-reviewed study found that listening to music before a stressful experience significantly improved the body’s recovery by reducing cortisol levels (the body’s stress hormone) and supporting autonomic nervous system regulation, even when compared to silence or nature sounds.

Why It Matters
In a modern and busy world where people are experiencing heightened anxiety, overstimulation, and pressure to achieve, music offers a space for emotional release. The study showed that music helped participants return to baseline more quickly after stress, with lower cortisol and stabilized heart rate. In both children and adults, this translates to greater emotional regulation, better focus, and fewer meltdowns during difficult moments. When music becomes a regular part of a person's routine, it becomes a tool for lifelong resilience. As Maya Angelou once said, “Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” When students play with their heart, they create a private space where their nervous system can reset. That reset, over time, becomes a tool they can rely on again and again to bring them back to a balanced healthy mental state.

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“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” – Maya Angelou

5. Music Rewires the Brain for Life (Even If You Stop)​

Fact: Brain scans show that adults who studied music in childhood still show enhanced brain structure and stronger auditory memory years after they’ve stopped playing.

Why It Matters
 Even short periods of musical training can leave permanent traces that improve how people listen, move, and think for the rest of their lives. These lasting changes impact everything from language development to auditory memory and attention span. Even a few years of early music education can enhance how the adult brain processes speech and language. As neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks wrote, “Music is part of being human. It’s part of the fabric of our lives, as individuals and as communities.” The research now shows that music doesn’t just live in our memories but it literally leaves its mark on our brains. It’s clear the impact goes on, way past the last music lesson.

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“Music is part of being human. It’s part of the fabric of our lives, as individuals and as communities.” –Dr. Oliver Sacks

Ready to Unlock These Benefits?

At Piano & More, we bring in-home music education to families in Arlington, Mclean, and Falls Church, Virginia combining convenience with a proven, fun-first method that puts the student’s interests and growth at the center. 
👉 Book your 50% off trial lesson and see what music can unlock in your child. 
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👉Fill out the contact form here to speak with a lesson coordinator.
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