The research of Alicia Olszewska from the Nenki Institute for Experimental Biology in Poland was recently made public. The title of her study was <Understanding functional brain reorganization for naturalistic piano playing in novice pianists>. It was a study to observe changes in brain activity through piano lessons for 26 weeks in 24 people of various ages who had no piano experience at all.
Understanding functional brain reorganisation for naturalistic piano playing in novice pianists.pdf4.3MB
Participants learned basic Hanon, Bayer, etc. and practiced eight songs of increasing complexity.
How piano learning affects the brain
Increased early brain activity : During the early stages of learning, brain areas associated with memory, integration of sensory information, and motor processing are highly active.
Optimization of brain activity : As participants' piano playing skills improved, brain activity in the motor cortex decreased. This indicates optimization of brain activity.
Activity in the auditory and motor cortex : Playing the piano activates the auditory cortex (sound processing) and motor cortex (motor planning and execution). Activity in the auditory cortex did not change significantly during the training period, but it generally decreased in the motor cortex.
Changes in activity in other brain regions : Early in learning, brain regions such as the cerebellum (coordination of movements), parietal cortex (integration of sensory information), hippocampus (memory), and basal ganglia (initiation and control of voluntary movements) are activated. Activity in these areas also decreases as training progresses.
Alicia's research shows that as humans become more proficient at playing the piano, there is optimization of cognitive abilities and brain structure and activity. In particular, we found that in younger users, brain activity becomes more active and efficient depending on piano proficiency.
When I was young, I wish I had played harder when my mother sent me to piano lessons. I didn't even think about reaching 100 or 30, so I just quit using the excuse of moving, but now that I think about it, there are quite a few wise people around me who play the piano or other musical instruments. I think I need to nitpick something again.
