How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins

How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins — TED-Ed

TED-Ed

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Key ideas

  • Neuroimaging via fMRI and PET reveals that while listening to music activates widespread brain areas, playing an instrument functions as a full-body mental workout engaging nearly all cortices simultaneously. (0:13)
  • Playing an instrument increases the volume and activity of the corpus callosum, allowing messages to cross hemispheres faster and through more diverse routes. (1:46)
  • Musicians exhibit an enhanced memory tagging system, assigning conceptual, emotional, audio, and contextual tags to memories like an internet search engine for faster retrieval. (1:46)
  • Controlled studies show that the cognitive and neural enhancements from learning an instrument are unique to music and not replicated by visual arts or sports. (3:39)

Detailed notes

## Background This educational video was created by lesson author Anita Collins with animation by Sharon Colman Graham, published on YouTube by TED-Ed on July 22, 2014. According to the page description, the lesson explores what happens inside musicians' brains when they perform—equating it to a full-body mental workout—and examines the long-term cognitive benefits of playing an instrument.

## TL;DR Neuroimaging reveals that while listening to music activates multiple areas of the brain at once, physically playing an instrument triggers a synchronized full-body neural workout across the visual, auditory, and motor cortices. This bilateral coordination strengthens the corpus callosum, facilitating faster and more diverse cross-hemispheric communication that boosts problem-solving and executive function. In addition, musicians develop enhanced memory retrieval systems by indexing information with simultaneous conceptual, emotional, audio, and contextual tags. Controlled studies confirm that these widespread structural and cognitive benefits are uniquely produced by musical training rather than general arts, athletics, or pre-existing cognitive advantages.

## Atmosphere & style The presentation carries TED-Ed's hallmark accessible, wonder-filled tone, translating complex neuroscience into lively conceptual frameworks like backyard fireworks and internal search engines. Collins's calm and authoritative narration provides an engaging, educational rhythm that contrasts the outward stillness of a performing musician with the jubilant storm of internal brain activity. The experience feels illuminating and intellectually empowering, leaving viewers with a deep appreciation for cognitive plasticity and the hidden power of musical practice.

## Bulletin - [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) Neuroimaging via fMRI and PET reveals that while listening to music activates widespread brain areas, playing an instrument functions as a full-body mental workout engaging nearly all cortices simultaneously. - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) Playing an instrument increases the volume and activity of the corpus callosum, allowing messages to cross hemispheres faster and through more diverse routes. - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) Musicians exhibit an enhanced memory tagging system, assigning conceptual, emotional, audio, and contextual tags to memories like an internet search engine for faster retrieval. - [03:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=219s) Controlled studies show that the cognitive and neural enhancements from learning an instrument are unique to music and not replicated by visual arts or sports.

## Key takeaways - [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) Advancements in fMRI and PET scanners have allowed neuroscientists to observe brain mechanics in real time during cognitive and auditory tasks. - [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) Standard tasks like reading or doing math activate isolated brain areas, whereas listening to music sparks simultaneous, widespread neural activity. - [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) The brain deconstructs music into rhythm and melody, reassembling them into a unified perceptual experience in a fraction of a second. - [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) Actively playing an instrument shifts brain activity from a passive fireworks display into an intense, full-body brain workout. - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) Musicians simultaneously recruit the visual, auditory, and motor cortices while exercising fine motor skills coordinated by both brain hemispheres. - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) Musical performance merges the mathematical and linguistic precision of the left hemisphere with the creative synthesis of the right hemisphere. - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) Disciplined practice increases the volume and neural traffic of the corpus callosum, enhancing creative and effective problem-solving across academic and social contexts. - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) Musicians demonstrate superior executive function, effectively balancing strategic planning and attention to detail with emotional analysis. - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) Musicians store and retrieve memories more efficiently by attaching multiple tags—such as emotional, audio, contextual, and conceptual markers—to a single record. - [03:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=219s) Controlled experiments controlling for baseline cognitive function demonstrate that music-induced brain benefits are distinct and not matched by visual arts or athletics.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) The Brain on Music: Listening vs. Playing

Over the past few decades, neuroscientists have achieved massive breakthroughs in observing real-time brain mechanics using neuroimaging equipment such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scanners. Under routine evaluation, tasks like reading text or completing mathematics problems show isolated, designated regions of neural activation. However, when researchers monitored subjects listening to music, the monitors registered widespread activity: multiple areas of the brain lit up simultaneously. The brain analyzes musical auditory input by dissecting constituent elements—such as melody and rhythm—and reassembling them into a unified perceptual experience, executing this complex processing in the brief fraction of a second before a listener begins tapping their foot.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Brain Activity Progression from Listening to Playing Music accDescr: Diagram illustrating the shift in neural activation from simple tasks to listening to music and actively playing an instrument.

subgraph Passive["Single Tasks & Listening"] A["Standard Tasks<br>(Reading, Math)"] -->|"Isolated brain regions light up"| B["Listening to Music"] B -->|"Deconstructs & unifies melody and rhythm"| C["Widespread Activation<br>('Backyard Fireworks')"] end

subgraph Active["Active Instrument Performance"] C -->|"Musician plays instrument"| D["Intricate, Fast Sequences Across Cortices"] D --> E["Full-Body Brain Workout<br>('Jubilee')"] end ```

When neuroscientists shifted their inquiry from passive music listeners to practicing musicians, the intensity of neural activation increased dramatically. While a performer on the outside appears calm, composed, and focused on executing precise motor movements and reading sheet music, their internal brain activity surges. Anita Collins captures this contrast by observing: “It turns out that while listening to music engages the brain in some pretty interesting activities, playing music is the brain's equivalent of a full-body workout.” Rather than localized firing or isolated bursts, playing an instrument triggers simultaneous, fast, and intricately interrelated information processing across the entire brain.

---

[01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) Hemispheric Integration, Executive Function, and Memory Tagging

Making music requires the simultaneous engagement of almost every functional region of the brain, heavily enlisting the visual, auditory, and motor cortices at once. In the same way regular physical exercise conditions muscle groups, disciplined and structured music practice strengthens these interconnected neural pathways, allowing musicians to translate those benefits to other non-musical tasks. The critical operational difference between listening to music and physically playing it lies in fine motor control. These precise physical mechanics are coordinated across both brain hemispheres, blending the linguistic and mathematical accuracy driven by the left hemisphere with the novel, creative synthesis mastered by the right hemisphere.

```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Hemispheric Processing and Corpus Callosum Integration accDescr: Flowchart detailing how the left and right hemispheres combine musical tasks across the corpus callosum into enhanced executive and memory systems.

subgraph BrainHemispheres["Bilateral Brain Processing"] LH["Left Hemisphere<br>(Math & Linguistic Precision)"] RH["Right Hemisphere<br>(Novelty & Creative Content)"] end

subgraph Bridge["Neural Highway"] CC["Corpus Callosum<br>(Increased Volume & Activity)"] end

subgraph Outcomes["Cognitive Advantages"] EF["Executive Function<br>(Planning, Strategy, Detail)"] MEM["Memory Tagging Engine<br>(Conceptual, Emotional, Audio, Contextual)"] end

LH --> CC RH --> CC CC --> EF CC --> MEM ```

This sustained cross-hemispheric cooperation causes measurable anatomical changes: it increases both the physical volume and the operational activity within the corpus callosum, the central bridge connecting the left and right hemispheres. With this bridge reinforced, signals cross between hemispheres more rapidly and via more diverse pathways. As Collins points out: “This may allow musicians to solve problems more effectively and creatively, in both academic and social settings.” Because playing an instrument also demands continuous evaluation of emotional tone and interpretive messaging, musicians show heightened levels of executive function—a suite of critical cognitive abilities including planning, strategizing, and sustaining meticulous attention to detail through simultaneous emotional and analytical processing.

This neural architecture radically transforms memory retention and recall: - **Retrieval Speed**: Musicians exhibit faster, more efficient creation, storage, and retrieval of memory records. - **Multidimensional Indexing**: The musician's brain assigns multiple distinct tags to a single memory—specifically conceptual, emotional, audio, and contextual tags. - **Search Engine Analogy**: This multi-tag system functions similarly to an optimized internet search engine, allowing rapid recovery of information from diverse cues.

---

[03:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=219s) The Unique Impact of Musical Training

A persistent question among cognitive researchers was whether these intellectual and structural benefits were genuinely unique to learning an instrument, or if similar adaptations could be achieved through activities such as visual painting or competitive sports. Researchers also had to resolve the possibility of selection bias—specifically whether individuals with higher innate cognitive ability were simply more inclined to take up musical training in the first place.

Neuroscientists addressed this through randomized controlled studies tracking individuals who initially measured at identical levels of baseline neural processing and cognitive capability. Participants assigned to structured periods of music education displayed marked cognitive enhancements across multiple brain sectors compared to non-music groups. Researchers determined that the aesthetic, physical, and interpretive elements of learning an instrument produce distinct neural developmental benefits not replicated by other studied arts or physical disciplines. Ultimately, this branch of research offers deeper insight into mental function, showing how music mobilizes the brain’s varied systems into a dynamic, highly unified orchestra.

## Notable quotes > [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) It turns out that while listening to music engages the brain in some pretty interesting activities, playing music is the brain's equivalent of a full-body workout. — Anita Collins

## Mentioned Anita Collins, Sharon Colman Graham, TED-Ed, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), Patreon, YouTube

## Video description Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/teded

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain-anita-collins

When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks that go off in musicians' brains when they play, and examines some of the long-term positive effects of this mental workout.

Lesson by Anita Collins, animation by Sharon Colman Graham.

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng)

中文简报

演奏乐器如何让大脑获益 - 安妮塔·柯林斯 神经成像显示，尽管聆听音乐会同时激活大脑的多个区域，但亲自演奏乐器则会触发视觉、听觉和运动皮层之间协调的全身性神经锻炼。这种双侧协调增强了胼胝体，促进了跨大脑半球更快且更多元的沟通，从而提升了问题解决能力和执行功能。此外，音乐家通过同时使用概念、情感、音频和语境标签对信息进行索引，建立了更强大的记忆检索系统。对照研究证实，这些广泛的结构与认知益处是由音乐训练特异性带来的，而非普通艺术、体育活动或原有的认知优势所致。 通过功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）和正电子发射断层扫描（PET）进行的神经成像显示，尽管聆听音乐会激活广泛的大脑区域，但演奏乐器相当于一次全身心智锻炼，几乎同时调动了所有大脑皮层。 (0:13) 演奏乐器能增加胼胝体的体积和活跃度，使信息能以更快速度和更多元途径跨越左右大脑半球。 (1:46) 音乐家展现出更强的记忆标签系统，就像互联网搜索引擎一样，为记忆分配概念、情感、音频和语境标签，以便更快检索。 (1:46) 对照研究表明，学习乐器带来的认知与神经增强作用为音乐所独有，视觉艺术或体育运动并不能复制这种效果。 (3:39)

Detailed notes — zh

## Background 该视频由教育频道 TED-Ed 于 2014 年 7 月 22 日发布在 YouTube 平台上，课程内容由 Anita Collins 主讲、Sharon Colman Graham 制作动画。视频简介指出，聆听音乐会激活大脑的多个区域，而实际演奏乐器则相当于对大脑进行一场“全身锻炼”，本课旨在揭示演奏乐器时大脑内如烟花般的神经反应及其带来的长期积极影响。 ## TL;DR 神经科学研究表明，听音乐能够点亮大脑的多个区域，而实际演奏乐器更是相当于一场高强度的大脑“全身锻炼”，需要视觉、听觉和运动皮层全面同步协作。演奏乐器要求左右半球共同控制精细动作与逻辑情感，这一过程增大了连接双脑的胼胝身体积并提升了其活跃度，进而增强了执行功能与解决问题的能力。音乐家的大脑还能像搜索引擎一样为信息打上概念、情绪和声音等多重标签，显著提升记忆创建与检索效率。多项随机对照实验进一步证实，这种大脑多区域的强化是音乐训练独有的因果效应，而非先天资质差异所致。 ## Atmosphere & style 整部动画短片节奏明快、生动形象，将深奥复杂的神经科学机制转化为如“后院烟花”与“脑力狂欢”般通俗易懂的视觉隐喻。Anita Collins 的解说冷静清晰且富有感染力，以严谨的研究实证层层击破认知偏见，让观众在惊叹大脑精密运作的同时，深刻体会到音乐与人类思维交织的艺术之美。 ## Bulletin - [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) 神经成像显示，听音乐会同时点亮大脑多个区域，而演奏乐器则会带来宛如全身高强度锻炼般的全面激活，极速处理多维度互联信息。 - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) 长期演奏训练可显著增加连接左右大脑半球的胼胝体体积并提升其活跃度，加快跨半球神经信号的传递与问题解决效率。 - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) 音乐训练能重塑记忆机制，为记忆赋予概念、情绪、声音与情境等多重检索标签，大幅提升信息提取速度。 - [03:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=219s) 随机对照实验证实，在初始认知能力相同的情况下，经历音乐学习的个体多脑区功能显著提升，证明音乐塑造大脑具有确凿的因果关系，而非幸存者偏差。 ## Key takeaways - [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) 借助 fMRI 和 PET 等实时监测技术，神经科学家得以观察不同活动状态下人类大脑的即时工作机制。 - [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) 不同于阅读或数学题仅激活特定区域，聆听音乐会在转瞬之间分解并重组旋律与节奏，同时点亮大脑多个区域。 - [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) 演奏乐器需要结合严谨识谱与高度精准的动作控制，对大脑构成相当于全身锻炼级别的高强度刺激。 - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) 乐器演奏同时调动视觉皮层、听觉皮层与运动皮层，经过规律练习后，这些神经功能强化能够迁移至其他日常活动中。 - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) 演奏需要左右脑半球协同配合，将左脑的精密逻辑、数学节拍与右脑的创意表达结合，并共同控制精细动作。 - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) 长期音乐训练能够显著增大胼胝体的体积并提升其活跃度，开辟更多样、更迅捷的跨半球信息沟通通路。 - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) 兼顾技巧控制与情感表达的要求，促使音乐家发展出更高阶的执行功能，在规划、策略制定与细节把控上表现优异。 - [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) 音乐家大脑构建了类似搜索引擎的高效索引系统，能通过声音、情感、概念和情境等多维标签快速存储和提取记忆。 - [03:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=219s) 针对体育或绘画等其他活动的对比研究显示，音乐学习所涉及的审美与艺术综合刺激对大脑具有独一无二的影响。 - [03:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=219s) 随机对照试验证实了音乐训练与大脑认知能力提升之间的直接因果联系，排除了先天聪明的样本选择偏误。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=13s) 从“后院烟花”到“全身锻炼”：音乐对大脑的实时激活 每当音乐家拿起乐器时，外表看似平静专注，正在一丝不苟地识谱并做出经过千锤百炼的精准肢体动作，但他们的大脑内部实际上正在举办一场狂欢派对。在过去的几十年中，神经科学家借助功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）和正电子发射计算机断层显像（PET）等仪器，实现了对大脑活动的实时监测，从而取得了对大脑工作机制的突破性认知。当实验受试者连接到这些仪器上进行阅读或解答数学题等单项任务时，研究人员能观察到大脑中对应的特定区域出现激活；然而，一旦让受试者开始聆听音乐，研究人员眼前便出现了如烟花绽放般的景象——大脑的多个区域同时被点亮。大脑飞速处理传入的声音信号，将其拆解以识别旋律、节奏等要素，随后又将其重新拼合成一个完整的音乐体验。Anita Collins 指出：“And our brains do all this work in the split second between when we first hear the music and when our foot starts to tap along.”（而从我们初次听到音乐，到脚随着节拍开始踩踏，在这转瞬之间，我们的大脑就已经完成了所有这些复杂工作。） 当科学家们将观察对象从单纯的“音乐聆听者”转向“演奏乐器的音乐家”时，脑内原本犹如后院小烟花般的活动瞬间升级为盛大的庆典。虽然聆听音乐已经能让大脑进行非常有趣的运算，但演奏乐器对大脑而言，则相当于一场高强度的“全身锻炼”（full-body workout）。神经科学家观察到，音乐家大脑中的多个区域被同时点亮，以极其错综复杂、互相关联且惊人迅疾的序列，同步处理着不同维度的信息。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 听音乐与演奏音乐对大脑活动的差异对比 accDescr: 展示从简单认知任务到听音乐的大脑烟花现象，再到演奏乐器时达到的全身锻炼级别激活的递进过程。 subgraph Listen["聆听音乐阶段"] A["声音输入"] --> B["拆解旋律与节奏"] B --> C["拼合为统一音乐体验"] C --> D["引发多脑区同时点亮 (烟花效果)"] end subgraph Play["演奏乐器阶段"] E["精细动作控制 + 识谱分析"] --> F["视觉、听觉、运动皮层全面同步激活"] F --> G["多区域极速处理复杂互联信息"] G --> H["大脑相当于进行全身锻炼 (Full-body workout)"] end Listen -->|"复杂度大幅跃升"| Play ``` ### [01:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=106s) 双脑协作与胼胝体强化：演奏对认知与记忆机制的重塑 演奏乐器之所以能让整个大脑彻底“燃烧”，原因在于它几乎同时调用了大脑的每一个区域，特别是视觉皮层、听觉皮层与运动皮层。就像任何身体锻炼一样，严格且有规律的演奏训练能够强化这些脑部功能，并将这些更强大的能力迁移应用到其他日常活动中。聆听音乐与演奏音乐之间最显著的差别，在于演奏需要极其精细的运动技能，而这种精细动作是由大脑左右两个半球共同控制的。演奏将左半球更擅长的语言与数学式的精密分析，与右半球所擅长的新颖、创造性内容有机结合。正因如此，研究发现演奏音乐能够增加大脑胼胝体（corpus callosum，即连接左右两个大脑半球的神经纤维桥梁）的体积与活跃度，使得神经信息能够以更快的速度、经由更多样化的路径跨越半球传递。这使音乐家在学术和社交环境中都能更加高效、富有创造力地解决问题。 除了逻辑与技巧，制作音乐还涉及对其情感内涵与信息的精准理解与表达。因此，音乐家往往拥有更高水平的执行功能（executive function）。这是一类相互关联的高级认知能力，涵盖规划、策略制定以及对细节的敏锐关注，要求大脑同时分析认知层面与情感层面的信息。这种综合分析能力进一步重塑了人类的记忆运作机制：音乐家表现出了显著增强的记忆功能，能够更加快速、高效地创建、储存和提取记忆。研究发现，音乐家高度互联的大脑赋予了每一段记忆多个检索标签，就像一个高效的互联网搜索引擎一样，为一段信息同时贴上概念标签、情绪标签、声音标签以及情境标签。 - **左右半球协同**：左半球负责处理谱面信息、节拍等数学与语言层面的精确逻辑，右半球负责注入新颖、富有创意的艺术理解，精细动作则由双侧大脑共同控制。 - **胼胝体物理变化**：长期乐器训练会增加胼胝体的体积并提升其活跃度，拓宽神经传递通道，加快跨半球信息沟通。 - **高阶执行功能**：由于必须同时调动认知和情感判断，音乐家在统筹规划、制定策略和注重细节方面展现出更强能力。 - **多维记忆标签检索**：音乐家的大脑如同搜索引擎，能够以声音、情绪、概念和情境等多重标签对记忆进行交叉索引，大幅提升记忆调用效率。 ### [03:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=219s) 音乐训练的独特性与因果验证：不仅是“先天更聪明” 针对这些认知优势，学界曾提出合理的质疑：这些大脑益处到底是不是音乐所独有的？比如长期参与体育运动或学习绘画，是否能达到完全相同的效果？又或者，仅仅是因为选择学习音乐的人原本智商和神经系统就更出众？面对这些疑问，神经科学家展开了针对性的对比与对照研究。迄今为止的研究证实，学习演奏乐器所包含的艺术与审美层面的独特性质，与所研究过的其他任何活动（包括其他形式的艺术活动）都有着本质区别。Anita Collins 明确阐述：“And several randomized studies of participants, who showed the same levels of cognitive function and neural processing at the start, found that those who were exposed to a period of music learning showed enhancement in multiple brain areas, compared to the others.”（数项针对受试者的随机对照研究发现，在初始认知水平和神经处理能力完全相同的情况下，经历过一段时间音乐学习的受试者，其大脑多个区域的功能相比对照组均出现了显著增强。）这直接证明了音乐训练对大脑的塑造具有因果关系，而非单纯的幸存者偏差。关于演奏乐器对心理与大脑益处的科学探索，不仅加深了人类对思维功能的认知，也揭示了在我们大脑内部宛如交响乐团般精准协作的复杂节律与相互作用。 ## Notable quotes > [03:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng&t=219s) And several randomized studies of participants, who showed the same levels of cognitive function and neural processing at the start, found that those who were exposed to a period of music learning showed enhancement in multiple brain areas, compared to the others. — Anita Collins ## Mentioned Anita Collins, Sharon Colman Graham, TED-Ed, 功能性磁共振成像, 正电子发射计算机断层显像, 胼胝体, 视觉皮层, 听觉皮层, 运动皮层 ## Video description Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/teded View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain-anita-collins When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks that go off in musicians' brains when they play, and examines some of the long-term positive effects of this mental workout. Lesson by Anita Collins, animation by Sharon Colman Graham. [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng)

Source quotes

[3:39] Anita Collins: And several randomized studies of participants, who showed the same levels of cognitive function and neural processing at the start, found that those who were exposed to a period of music learning showed enhancement in multiple brain areas, compared to the others.

Source quotes

[0:13] Anita Collins: It turns out that while listening to music engages the brain in some pretty interesting activities, playing music is the brain's equivalent of a full-body workout.

Original transcript

[0:13] Did you know that every time musicians pick up their instruments, [0:17] there are fireworks going off all over their brain? [0:20] On the outside, they may look calm and focused, [0:22] reading the music and making the precise and practiced movements required. [0:26] But inside their brains, there's a party going on. [0:30] How do we know this? [0:31] Well, in the last few decades, [0:33] neuroscientists have made enormous breakthroughs [0:35] in understanding how our brains work by monitoring them in real time [0:40] with instruments like fMRI and PET scanners. [0:43] When people are hooked up to these machines, [0:45] tasks, such as reading or doing math problems, [0:48] each have corresponding areas of the brain where activity can be observed. [0:53] But when researchers got the participants to listen to music, [0:56] they saw fireworks. [0:58] Multiple areas of their brains were lighting up at once, [1:01] as they processed the sound, [1:02] took it apart to understand elements like melody and rhythm, [1:05] and then put it all back together into unified musical experience. [1:10] And our brains do all this work in the split second [1:13] between when we first hear the music and when our foot starts to tap along. [1:17] But when scientists turned from observing the brains [1:19] of music listeners to those of musicians, [1:22] the little backyard fireworks became a jubilee. [1:25] It turns out that while listening to music engages the brain [1:29] in some pretty interesting activities, [1:31] playing music is the brain's equivalent of a full-body workout. [1:35] The neuroscientists saw multiple areas of the brain light up, [1:38] simultaneously processing different information [1:41] in intricate, interrelated, and astonishingly fast sequences. [1:46] But what is it about making music that sets the brain alight? [1:49] The research is still fairly new, [1:51] but neuroscientists have a pretty good idea. [1:54] Playing a musical instrument [1:55] engages practically every area of the brain at once, [1:59] especially the visual, auditory, and motor cortices. [2:03] As with any other workout, disciplined, structured practice in playing music [2:07] strengthens those brain functions, allowing us to apply that strength [2:11] to other activities. [2:13] The most obvious difference between listening to music and playing it [2:17] is that the latter requires fine motor skills, [2:19] which are controlled in both hemispheres of the brain. [2:22] It also combines the linguistic and mathematical precision, [2:26] in which the left hemisphere is more involved, [2:28] with the novel and creative content that the right excels in. [2:31] For these reasons, playing music has been found [2:34] to increase the volume and activity in the brain's corpus callosum, [2:38] the bridge between the two hemispheres, [2:41] allowing messages to get across the brain faster and through more diverse routes. [2:46] This may allow musicians to solve problems [2:48] more effectively and creatively, in both academic and social settings. [2:52] Because making music also involves crafting and understanding [2:56] its emotional content and message, [2:58] musicians often have higher levels of executive function, [3:02] a category of interlinked tasks [3:04] that includes planning, strategizing, and attention to detail [3:07] and requires simultaneous analysis of both cognitive and emotional aspects. [3:13] This ability also has an impact on how our memory systems work. [3:17] And, indeed, musicians exhibit enhanced memory functions, [3:20] creating, storing, and retrieving memories more quickly and efficiently. [3:25] Studies have found that musicians appear to use their highly connected brains [3:29] to give each memory multiple tags, [3:31] such as a conceptual tag, an emotional tag, [3:34] an audio tag, and a contextual tag, [3:36] like a good Internet search engine. [3:39] How do we know that all these benefits are unique to music, [3:42] as opposed to, say, sports or painting? [3:45] Or could it be that people who go into music [3:47] were already smarter to begin with? [3:49] Neuroscientists have explored these issues, but so far, [3:52] they have found that the artistic and aesthetic aspects [3:55] of learning to play a musical instrument [3:57] are different from any other activity studied, including other arts. [4:01] And several randomized studies of participants, [4:04] who showed the same levels [4:05] of cognitive function and neural processing at the start, [4:09] found that those who were exposed to a period of music learning [4:12] showed enhancement in multiple brain areas, compared to the others. [4:16] This recent research about the mental benefits of playing music [4:19] has advanced our understanding of mental function, [4:22] revealing the inner rhythms and complex interplay [4:25] that make up the amazing orchestra of our brain.