Why playing a musical instrument is more than a hobby and good for health
Some say, Albert Einstein’s best thoughts came after playing the violin. He is even quoted as saying:
“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music ... I cannot tell if I would have done any creative work of importance in music, but I do know that I get most joy in life out of my violin.”
For me, practicing the piano is non-negotiable. I put it up there with exercise and food prep.
Countless studies say that playing an instrument is incredibly healthy, as it turns on all parts of the brain, including those parts that are linked to survival and addiction.
This could explain why playing the piano helped me quit smoking as well as abstain from other unhealthy coping mechanisms.
I started taking piano lessons when I was six.
For my first lesson, my mom accompanied me to my teacher’s house who lived ten minutes away by foot. For subsequent lessons, I walked alone, holding on to my sheet music and satchel containing the French franc coins I would hand my teacher.
Over the past 44 years, I’ve had piano teachers in various places around the world. Having these mentors in my life created a red thread. We shared a common language, and this has given me a sense of belonging and community.
A therapist once praised my piano practice; she said it would help me tap into repressed emotions that were keeping me depressed.
She was right. Piano has helped me cope with loneliness, rejection, betrayal, grief, anger, and sadness. It’s also brought me intense joy.
If I neglect my practice, I become disconnected, and I fall back into patterns of codependency and self-neglect.