By Tom Mulhern
Sometimes things are so obvious, you aren’t even aware of them. Take for instance the connection between music-making and your health. It’s generally accepted that happier people tend to be healthier, since their positive outlook contributes to their overall well-being. So, what makes people happy? It might be golfing, working in the garden, building furniture, or any number of things. But making music may prove to be one of the best ways to keep yourself happy and healthy. Recent studies indicate that playing music directly produces several positive effects, which can be beneficial in staving off disease, treating (or thwarting) depression, loneliness, and anxiety, slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease, and even decelerating the aging process itself.
It’s pretty simple, when you think about it: People who are active and involved in something they like to do with other people who enjoy the same thing are going to feel better, especially when there’s friendship and fellowship. Learning to make music appeals to people of all ages. For older adults who value wellness and disease prevention, it’s an ideal avenue to physical and psychological well-being. Karl Bruhn, presidential advisor to the American Music Therapy Association says, "When people have success with music, boredom is relieved and efforts are directed toward personal productivity and pleasurable results. In addition, feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction tend to dominate feelings of pain and discomfort. People experience positive emotional responses and report that generally they ‘feel good.’"
It’s easy to compare this to something like golf: Even if you’re not shooting six under par, you still have a good time. It’s not the score that matters; it’s the playing. An especially good game can give you a "high" that lasts for days. Playing a piece through, no matter how well or how fast, can give that same feeling of accomplishment.
Dr. Frederick Tims, chair of Music Therapy at Michigan State University and principal investigator of the Music Making and Wellness Research Project says, "We feel strongly that abundant health benefits can be achieved by older adults who learn to make music in a supportive, socially enjoyable setting." His studies, along with those of other researchers, demonstrated that group keyboard lessons given to older Americans significantly improved anxiety, depression, and loneliness scores–critical factors in coping with stress, stimulating the immune system, and improving health.
Another study by Tims and others found that playing keyboard increased human growth hormone levels, which are play an important part in the aging process (a 60-year-old person only produces 25% of the human growth hormone of a 20-year-old). Meanwhile, the article "Music Therapy Increases Serum Melatonin Levels In Patients With Alzheimer's Disease" (Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, November 1999) reports that in four weeks, patients with Alzheimer’s showed increased levels of melatonin following music therapy, which may have contributed to their relaxed and calm mood.
Creating keyboard classes is one way the music retailer can help senior citizens while helping themselves. Classes don’t require a lot of space, sound levels are easy to manage, and the students are motivated to learn–they wouldn’t be there otherwise. By bringing seniors into the musical fold, they tend to become buyers of keyboards, and in particular pianos and organs.
Lest you think the idea of promoting wellness through music-making is only for senior citizens, think again. The fact is, people don’t have to wait to retire to benefit from playing music. Indulging in musical activities at any time in life is a great way to relieve stress, make friends, and just plain have fun. It’s one of the few lifelong habits that you can develop and never have to break.
The Music Making & Wellness Toolkit
(Available from NAMM)
The 2001 NAMM Show marked the debut of a new comprehensive marketing toolkit that details the recent groundbreaking research regarding the effects of music-making and the senior market, and how to utilize it to increase sales in the retail environment. Music Making and Wellness and the Six Minute Module are designed to help retailers tap in to this fast-growing, lucrative market.
American Music Conference’s Music Making & Wellness site
http://www.amc-music.com/wellhtml
American Music Therapy Association
8455 Colesville Rd., Suite 1000
Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
http://www.musictherapy.org
Administration On Aging
330 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201
http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov
Music For The Love Of It
http://www.musicfortheloveofit.com
Adult Music Student Forum
http://www.amsfperform.org
National Piano Foundation
13140 Coit Rd., Suite 320, LB 120
Dallas, TX 75240-5737
http://www.pianonet.com/