The strum of a stringed instrument may sound dreamy, but there’s a lot going on in the musician’s mind and fingers to make that note sing!
Click start to play today’s Crossword. Can you name all the instruments?
According to a 2020 study published in the Switzerland-based journal Frontiers in Neuroscience, playing a complex musical instrument, like the violin or piano, over an extended period of time helps improve cognitive processing and sensorimotor skills.
The study compared a group of children who practised different string instruments in a group orchestra program to a similar group of peers who received musical instruction but did not have focused training in any particular instrument. Scientists discovered that children who practiced with a complex musical instrument consistently had significant improvement in their core functions, such as working memory, attention, processing speed, hand dexterity, bimanual coordination and abstract thinking.
What children learn when playing an instrument, can benefit them in unexpected ways too. A 2010 study published in the mental health and behavioural science website Psychology Today, found that people with musical training have a higher volume of grey matter in their brains, which is directly linked to auditory processing and comprehension. This acquired skill is important in forming relationships! So, musicians are effectively learning to listen to others, to be sensitive to others’ emotions and to react with a greater depth of understanding.
Perhaps that’s why, when you listen to your favourite song, you feel like the musician knows exactly how you feel.
Play today’s melodious Crossword and tell us if you enjoyed it at games@gulfnews.com.
