Musical Pains Make Mental Gains

An April 2011 study concluded that those who play musical instruments regularly may retain certain mental abilities in old age.

"The results of this preliminary study revealed that participants with at least 10 years of musical experience (high activity musicians) had better performance in nonverbal memory, naming, and executive processes in advanced age relative to nonmusicians," according to “The Relation Between Instrumental Musical Activity and Cognitive Aging,” which was originally published in Neuropsychology.

The study’s authors, Branda Hanna-Pladdy and Alicia MacKay, continued: "Starting musical training early and continuing it for several years have a favorable effect on metal abilities during old age . . . It is advisable to think about our lifestyles and change them accordingly to have a better chance at a healthy, clear-headed old age.” In the study, 70 adults aged 60 to 83 underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and were divided into non-musicians, low- and high activity musicians.

As reported in SBO  magazine

Beginning Band PART FIVE; Consistency

[PART FIVE of an article written by Tracey Leeman owner of Musical Innovations and a long time educator published in the School Band and Orchestra July 2011 issue]


If parents would consider music as an academic subject (rather than a co- or extra-curricular) they will give performing music classes the same priority they give to all other academic subjects. They will insist that studying music is as important as academic homework. If students practice their music lessons as they do their regular homework they will progress. Once they begin to play well, playing will be it's own reward. Because performing music requires neuromuscular and psychomotor development as well as intellect, doing daily music homework is usually necessary before a child can progress enough to "like it". 

Beginning Band PART FOUR; Attitude

[PART FOUR of an article written by Tracey Leeman owner of Musical Innovations and a long time educator published in the School Band and Orchestra July 2011 issue]

A school band or Orchestra is a microcosm of society. It teaches co-operation, respect, listening skills, analysis and synthesis, creativity and expression, personal responsibility and interpersonal communication. These skills are sought after by Fortune 500 companies. Playing a Musical instrument teaches life skills that are adaptable to every personal and professional challenge. 

I have personally seen a number of older players fixing up musical instruments to begin playing again. There are many communities that offer community bands for players of all ages to become involved in. 

Beginning Band PART THREE; Attitude

[PART THREE of an article written by Tracey Leeman owner of Musical Innovations and a long time educator published in the School Band and Orchestra July 2011 issue]

Parents who understand the value of music in a child's education and the lifelong benefits of studying music will be glad that their children are participating in a music program and will give their full support. Their enthusiasm will be contagious and their children will then approach their musical studies with excitement as well. There are many studies that prove this out. Here are just a few examples: 

Middle School students involved in a music program scored significantly higher than their non-band peers in standardized tests. 

Another study showed correlations between the number of years of instrumental music instruction and academic achievement in math, science, and language skills.. See University studies in Georgia and Texas. 

Musical studies appears to to dramatically enhance a child's abstract thinking skills and spatial-temporal ability - skills neccessary for math and science - even more than computer instruction does. See Dr. Frances Rauscher, U of CA-Irvine.

Music students showed higher academic scores and scored higher on SAT scores. See Dr Tim Lautzenheiser's book Attitude Concepts for Today and The College Board, Princeton, NJ

There are many other studies that show improvement in academic scores by studying music. 

Beginning Band PART TWO; Support

[PART TWO of an article written by Tracey Leeman owner of Musical Innovations and a long time educator published in the School Band and Orchestra July 2011 issue]


Parents who are encouraging, especially through the difficult times, teach their children to reach out and take risks, to rise to challenges, and to pursue their dreams with confidence. In contrast, parents who say, "My child never sticks with anything", or what I often hear "they will probably drop out anyway", are being unfair to their children and laying the groundwork for a pattern of discouragement. This is true for any endeavor, not just music. 

Beginning Band PART ONE

[PART ONE of an article written by Tracey Leeman owner of Musical Innovations and a long time educator published in the School Band and Orchestra July 2011 issue]

So you child has chosen to start band in the fall. Many questions are asked by the parents such as "How do we choose the right instrument" and "how much will it cost"? and probably a very important one"Will my child stick with it"?. A survey doe a few years ago showed that 45 % of parents responding would not buy a musical instrument unless they "knew that their child had some musical talent". But how do you know if your child has talent if they have never even held an instrument or been taught to play? 

Well, a childs success in music is directly related to four factors: support; attitude; consistency; and open-mindedness.
Worth noting is that finances are not a factor in the success of young students. We will cover each of these factors in future blogs.

A word about swabs

There are many types and qualities of swabs on the market. Everything from a piece of felt, chamois, silk, to microfiber. Please keep in mind that the object of a swab is to remove saliva from the inside of the bore.  Acids in the saliva will over time rot raw brass, tear down fibers in wood, and cake on plastic. Besides the health factors of keeping moist "spit" in the instrument. One of the best absorbing materials I have found is the microfiber cloth and what is sold as the "sax diaper". It is diaper material. Silk is a good material to use in swabs as well especially inside wood.  Much talk has been given to products that you push into the bore of a instrument and leave there. My option has always been to get the saliva out of the instrument quickly and completely not allowing it to stay inside the bore as it wicks to the center. If you play daily the instrument may never dry out.