Playing brass instruments is good for your health in many ways. It requires you to use all of your muscles, including the ones in your lungs and upper body. Playing also improves breathing and lung strength, while it can also help with mental well being-those who play music have lower rates of depression and anxiety.
The benefits are so great that even if you don’t enjoy playing, there are still plenty of reasons to give it a try!
Building Muscle Tone and Strength
One of the main health benefits of playing brass instruments is that it helps build muscle tone and strength in the upper body. This is especially true for wind instruments like the trumpet and saxophone, which require a lot of arm and shoulder strength to play. Playing a brass instrument can help you achieve a strong, muscular upper body without having to go to the gym!
Musical instruments such as brass, woodwind, and stringed instruments all require the player to use their hands and fingers in a coordinated fashion. This increases mobility in the fingers and develops muscle tone by requiring you to keep your hand muscles active for long periods.
Strengthening Core Muscles
Playing a brass instrument will help strengthen core muscles. For example, moving around while playing requires you to use some of the muscles in your stomach and back that are used for stabilization. Also, moving around and beating your legs in rhythm is great exercise – some studies found that 10,000 steps per day were the minimum recommended amount of health beneficial activity for people! So, you just need to find music for the trumpet and you’re ready to start practice, play, and dance it away. It’s a healthful way to get in your notes and steps.
Improves Posture
Maintaining an upright posture is also important for health. A lot of people slouch when they’re not in their best health, but this puts pressure on your spine which can make health problems worse! Playing a brass instrument regularly helps develop good posture habits by encouraging you to stand straight because it puts stress on your lower back if you don’t hold yourself up.
Good posture helps improve blood flow and reduces the risk of health problems such as back pain. Brass instruments are especially beneficial for this because they require you to hold yourself up straight and use your core muscles to stabilize your spine.
Improved Breathing and Lung Strength
Playing a brass instrument also helps improve breathing and lung strength. This is because brass instruments require you to blow into the instrument, which strengthens the lungs and helps increase airflow. Playing a brass instrument can also help improve respiratory health by reducing the risk of asthma and other respiratory problems.
It is not just a reduction of health risks, brass instruments improve health in the normal. Lung health is vital to keep the body performing as it should. The diaphragm and lungs get a fantastic workout when playing brass instruments. So much so that many professional brass players have exceptional lung capacity.
If you have respiratory problems, and if you are unsure whether or not brass playing is safe for you, consult with your doctor before starting to play. You can always do a smaller scale musical instrument in place or start with easier songs until your lungs have strengthened too.
Mental Health Benefits
Playing a brass instrument has been shown to have the added benefit of improving mental health. Music is thought to help improve mood and lower rates of depression and anxiety in those who play! It also helps reduce stress, which can have health benefits such as reducing your body’s cortisol levels (a hormone that is released when you are stressed).
So, those who play music have lower rates of depression and anxiety, and playing a brass instrument can be especially beneficial for mental health. Playing a brass instrument requires focus and concentration, which can help improve attention span and cognitive function. It also provides an outlet for creative expression, which can be therapeutic for those struggling with mental health issues.
Another great benefit to playing brass instruments is the social aspect. Playing a brass instrument usually means playing it in a band or orchestra, which can provide a sense of community and friendship, which is important for mental health.
Lately, with the rise of pandemics, and global isolation, the health and happiness of the individual are more important than ever. Therefore, don’t let staying at home hold you back. Get your brass instrument, meet with musical colleagues online and play away!
Boosts Cognitive Function and Memory Skills
Playing a brass instrument is great for your cognitive skills and memory. Brass players must hold notes in their minds while the band plays, and this helps to improve memory skills over time. Also, more experienced musicians can process music faster than their less experienced counterparts which will help you learn songs at a faster rate!
So, if you want to play an instrument but don’t think that your mind or memory could handle it then try a brass instrument! The notes are shown to be held for a longer time than with woodwinds and strings, so it is perfect for a beginner.
Another way that brass instruments help you is the improvement of your creative side. When you join a band and want to start playing a brass instrument, it will be much easier than if you try to do this on your own. With the help of others, you’ll get new ideas, and faster too. Certain cell connections in your brain will fire up that haven’t done so in the past. This helps to improve overall cognitive function and memory skills.
Playing a brass instrument has been shown to have the added benefit of improving mental health. Music is thought to help improve mood and lower rates of depression and anxiety in those who play! It also helps reduce stress, which can have health benefits such as reducing your body’s cortisol levels (a hormone that is released when you are stressed). So, if you want to play an instrument but don’t think that your mind or memory could handle it then try a brass instrument! It is perfect for beginners, and for longer players, it only improves their wellbeing!