THINK MUSIC
AS YOU ENTER THE SENIOR YEARS
ARE you thinking of what to do in your retirement or advancing years? Think music. Music lessons are not only enjoyable for senior citizens, but can be quite beneficial.
THE BRAIN
Music is wonderfully complex and so singing even the simplest nursery rhyme has a lot of moving parts. Take the children’s song Mary had a little
lamb. To sing that song correctly you have to utter the correct words with the appropriate meaning, sound the words at the correct pitch and be able to produce those sounds and meaning at a certain speed and a particular rhythm. That simple nursery song has five elements that the brain is juggling to execute just right.
There is a relationship between certain areas of the brain and the different activities we engage in. The area of the brain that we use for problem-solving is different from when we are engaged in casual conversation. This is also true of when we are engaged in physical activities that require the moving of our hands, legs and even fingers. Our brain gets involved in processing the many signals throughout our body to ensure that we function at our best.
This is one of the reasons why playing a musical instrument can be so beneficial to the functioning of your brain. Most instruments require that you use many limbs at the same time. This gives your brain a stimulating workout. This is why musicians often seem to think and speak differently than non-musicians. They are constantly stimulating their brains in different ways and this is reflected in the way they speak, think and solve problems. It is the reason why playing an instrument often releases creativity, inspiration and changes our moods.
TO GET THE MOST OUT OF LESSONS:
1. Let go of any hang ups from when you were a child. You are different now. You have the gifts of knowledge, memories and experiences. Use those and enjoy
2. Create a meaningful project. “I would like to perform a simple song at my next birthday”.
3. Create a space for practice and communicate to your family your intentions and the need for your special time
4. Make practice regular, but not stressful. Split the time between assignments from and just exploring the instrument.
5. If you can, maintain a journal of the experience and reflect on what it means to you. Memories and feelings may arise in the process and you should capture them. If you are comfortable, discuss the feelings that the music arouses with your teacher. That might inspire the selection of new music or a more interesting direction for the lessons
6. Always play your instrument in a state of relaxation. This is key to getting the most benefit from the experience
— Seretse Small is the founder and managing director of Avant Academy of Music in St Andrew.