 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2014-07-24 10:45
Great video. I suspected that playing music was beneficial. It also has to be good for our lung function.
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2014-07-30 19:42
Interesting video - making music really seems to exercise the brain's machinery. It reminds me almost of how cross-training workouts run the machinery of the body (also with broad benefits.)
I've also read some articles on music therapy, where patients being treated for depression are exposed to music in some form. Either they passively listen or they actually play something. In the latter form, they might improvise on percussion instruments. These therapies seem to have gotten positive results, though without being understood very well. Perhaps the scanning technology referenced in GBK's youtube link could be combined with music therapy sessions to examine patient's brains before, during, and after therapy sessions.
I have a personal interest in this topic. I've always tended to get depressed, but I've never been treated for it (because I'm stupid). In 2007 I was stuck in a pretty bad one that had gone on for over 6 months. One day while aimlessly exploring my house of ghosts, I noticed in the back of a closet my old clarinet case, covered in dust. I got it out, brushed it off, and opened it up. First time in 33 years.
I tried to play. I could barely make a sound and had forgotten many fingerings and scales. After a while, I put it away, and decided to try again the next day. The following day my depression was gone. It didn't lessen, it didn't taper off, it was gone. I've been practicing (and improving) ever since. If I miss two consecutive days, I get depressed. Otherwise I'll still occasionally have a depressed day or two, but playing music is definitely countering that tendency. (Little else in my life has changed.) In this way, playing clarinet is who I am.
So, playing music profoundly affects the brain function. As therapy, I would recommend not just passive listening or cathartic percussion banging, but consistently practicing to learn and improve on an instrument. It seems to provide a feeling of purpose, and that counters depression.
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