Piano Guidance
Piano Guidance
Photo: MART PRODUCTION
In a new study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, a child psychiatry team has found that learning a musical instrument could help children to reduce feelings of anxiety, gain a greater control of their emotions and give a stronger focus to their attention.
12 Classic Sad Piano Songs – And How to Play Them Gymnopédie No. 1 - Erik Satie. ... Clair de Lune - Claude Debussy. ... Hallelujah - Leonard...
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around age 7 For most students, the best age to learn guitar is around age 7. But it's important to note that all students are different, so there...
Read More »Learning a musical instrument is a terrific opportunity for children to express themselves creatively while picking up a new skill. It could be much more than this though, according to researchers, who suggest that musical training could also serve to hone their mental energies. Share on Pinterest Learning to play a musical instrument as a child could affect the way in which the brain grows. In a new study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, a child psychiatry team has found that learning a musical instrument could help children to reduce feelings of anxiety, gain a greater control of their emotions and give a stronger focus to their attention. The authors describe the study as “the largest investigation of the association between playing a musical instrument and brain development.” The aim of the study was to assess any associations that may exist between playing a musical instrument and cortical thickening in the brain. As children grow up, the outer layer of the brain (cortex) changes in thickness, and certain changes have previously been found by researchers to be associated with altered mental states. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, cortical thickening and thinning in particular areas of the brain had been demonstrated by the team to indicate mental conditions such as anxiety, depression and attention problems, even in children who were undiagnosed with any form of mental disorder. As a result, professor of psychiatry Dr. James Hudziak and colleagues decided to investigate whether positive stimulation in the form of musical training would have any effect on cortical thickening. Scales, arpeggios and cortical thickening Participants for the study were taken from National Institutes of Health (NIH) MRI Study of Normal Brain Development. A total of 232 children, aged 6-18, were analyzed by the researchers. Each participant underwent MRI scanning and behavioral testing on up to three different occasions with a 2-year interval between each one. As well as the data from these brain scans, the researchers had access to the participants’ IQ and musical training data. The researchers observed a number of changes associated with musical training in various areas of the brain. As predicted, the motor areas were altered, as playing an instrument necessitates the control and co-ordination of movement. Musical training was also associated with cortical thickening in areas of the brain related to executive functioning, inhibitory control and the processing of emotions. These include “working memory, attentional control, as well as organization and planning for the future,” write the authors. No association was observed by the team, however, between cortical thickness and the number of years spent playing a musical instrument, only the age during which the playing occurred. The study’s findings were relatively unaffected when adjusted for IQ and handedness.
20-30 minutes How long should piano lessons be for a 5-year-old? On average 20-30 minutes is about right for a piano lesson session in this age...
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In my experience, it takes four to six months of piano lessons before students have mastered the necessary basics and then a sight reading practice...
Read More »Acoustic pianos generally produce 60-70 Decibels (dB) at normal practise. The Action Level where hearing protection is required is at 85 Decibels. Upright pianos generally have shorter strings and smaller soundboard, which would contribute to lesser volume compared to a Grand piano.
A grand piano played fortissimo could produce intensity of around 100 dB SPL, which would cause hearing damage in most ears after about fifteen minutes, but only if the intensity remained that high for the whole time. It is intensity over time that causes damage, with greater intensities causing damage in shorter amounts of time. It is theoretically possibly but extremely unlikely that a piece, piano, and player would all come together to produce enough intensity for long enough time to cause damage. It's not normally worth worrying about. That said, all measurements of hearing are averages across a sample of people, so there can be and are unusual ears that are more or less sensitive to different parameters of sound. If you've been diagnosed with a condition, best to check with your doctor whether you are at a greater risk for damage because of that condition. As Bruno wrote, 60-70 dB is a good typical intensity for a piano, with 100 dB being a rare but possible sound level.
The middle of all keyboards However, middle C is not called middle C because it is in the middle of the piano. Middle C is called middle C because...
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6 Digital Pianos with the Most Realistic Piano Sounds Kawai MP11SE. You'd have trouble finding any list of keyboards with realistic piano sounds...
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Playing piano is a great joy for many people, but sometimes practicing can become repetitive and boring. Here are a few ways to enhance your piano...
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The Kennedy key consists of two square keys. The hub is bored off the centre and the two keys force the hub and the shaft to a concentric position....
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