For many of us over the past year, stress levels have been at their highest, with all kinds of crises going on, finding solace is important to modern living.
It’s no secret that stress is detrimental to both our physical and mental health and can impact almost every aspect of your life. From damaging relationships, to reduced work productivity, to worsening sleep patterns, increased stress levels are never a good thing. That is why today we wanted to outline the incredible power of music and how learning the piano could provide you with the ultimate form of needed stress relief that you've been looking for.
Whether it be for yourself, your children or your friends, bringing music into someone's life can kick start a journey of self-discovery and expression like no other.
We’ve written before about the addictive powers of music, but it has also been proven that music has a profound effect on both your body and emotions and that setting some time aside to relieve stress is essential to our well-being.
Whether it be running, fishing, painting or playing the piano, there are always new skills to learn and in our (rather biased) opinion, learning the piano is one of the most effective and immensely enjoyable options for almost anyone.
Learning The Piano As An Adult
Research has shown that adults who are either learning to play an instrument, or who already use music as stress relief generally suffer from lower blood pressure, lower stress levels, decreased heart rates, and a reduction in anxiety and depression.
Perhaps you have always wanted to give music a try but never found the time? Well now is the perfect opportunity! As well as these fantastic health benefits, music helps keep the mind sharp, particularly when it comes to memory capacity and the ability to problem solve.
The Benefits For Children and Families
But it’s not just adults who feel the benefit of learning. We’ve written a lot on the impact that music can have on children’s development, but learning the piano also provides an incredible activity that the whole family can benefit from and get involved with.
Not only will your child be learning a new life skill, but they are opened up an entirely new world of possibility, who knows? They might just be the next Mozart!
Likewise, what family wouldn’t shed tears of joy seeing their little one playing their first recital piece? Or even just having a fun sing song in the living room? Those are memories that last a lifetime!
Learning the piano can provide children with an incredibly satisfying and pleasurable learning experience that they can enjoy for years to come and continue to enhance when they return to education. This is also where our industry leading rental scheme comes into play!
How You Can Use Music As Therapy
Music as a form of therapy is also becoming increasingly used by both therapists and medical professionals. The stress-relieving qualities of playing and listening to music are unmatched and are frequently used as a fantastic tool to promote a sense of self in patients suffering from depression and dementia.
“Music has a close relationship with unconscious emotions, which are activated by musical movement,” says Finnish clinical music therapist Kimmo Lehtonen.
Music is a fantastic tool for enhancing mindfulness. It is the state of being fully aware of the current moment, so much so that many also see it as a form of meditation. If you’ve ever heard someone saying they were “In the zone” this is exactly what we mean. Any musician will tell you that the beautiful sweet spot when you’re playing is a truly unmatched experience.
Learning the piano also encourages time away from our devices. More of us are spending more and more time looking at devices, which not only naturally increase your cortisol (stress hormone) levels, but are natural enhancers of stress and anxiety. With so many notifications and news alerts always being released, it can be hard to escape and see light at the end of the tunnel....Let the piano be that light!
How can you get started?
There are plenty of ways you can get started learning the piano, whether it be finding the perfect starter instrument for you, or renting your dream instrument to enhance your musical journey. We've even written a guide to the kinds of pianos out there to help you get started.
The best part about learning the piano is that it is a personal journey. You can learn your way at any rate you want to, whatever songs you want to learn and whichever styles interest you. No two journeys are the same and no matter how busy your schedule gets, your instrument will always be there ready and waiting for your next session when you are ready.
There is something incredibly natural about playing music and using your hands to create amazing sounds. give yourself just a few hours a week to put the phone down, learn something new and just focus on YOU.
Music also offers an immense sense of community and despite being further apart than ever before, is a fantastic way to connect with like-minded individuals, share ideas, and work together to produce something excellent!
If you would like further help finding the perfect instrument for you, our team are on hand to answer your questions!