whenever they needed it and went on to my next appointment. A couple of weeks later, I received a note from the director. She wrote, "I want to thank you for the music you left with us. Ever since then we have been playing it almost non-stop and the transformation of this unit has been none other than a miracle. Thank you."
A recent survey on music and brain health conducted by AARP revealed some interesting findings about the impact of music on cognitive and emotional well-being:
The author Andrew E. Budson, MD, lists out the main benefits that music has to offer:
Music listeners had higher scores for mental well-being and slightly reduced levels of anxiety and depression compared to people overall.
Of survey respondents who currently go to musical performances, 69% rated their brain health as "excellent" or "very good," compared to 58% for those who went in the past and 52% for those who never attended.
Of those who reported often being exposed to music as a child, 68% rated their ability to learn new things as "excellent" or "very good," compared to 50% of those who were not exposed to music.
Active musical engagement, including those over age 50, was associated with higher rates of happiness and good cognitive function.
Adults with no early music exposure but who currently engage in some music appreciation show above average mental well-being scores.
"So just how does music promote well-being, enhance learning, stimulate cognitive function, improve quality of life, and even induce happiness? The answer is, because music can activate almost all brain regions and networks, it can help to keep a myriad of brain pathways and networks strong, including those networks that are involved in well-being, learning, cognitive function, quality of life, and happiness. In fact, there is only one other situation in which you can activate so many brain networks all at once, and that is when you participate in social activities."
There have been multiple studies performed and I don't have room to list them, but a query through the internet will turn up many. Music is a very important addition to our well-being and improved health, no matter how old we are. However, there seems to be an added benefit when older generations are exposed to its beneficial effects. Our neural networks are activated, and the evolution of our brain's capacity is improved. There does not appear to be any downside to the exposure of music in our lives. Since I have passed the 70-year mark, I am particularly interested in these benefits and intend to expose myself to them as often as possible.