Band instruments
“Why Band?” Sept. 11, 2026
It’s not just about band…various scientific studies have shown that playing a musical instrument is one of the few full-brain workouts! Connections have been made between increased brain plasticity and the ever evolving ability to execute a musical passage. You don’t have to be a neurologist to understand how the repetitive process of learning a musical instrument leads to physiological and neurological improvements that are long-term and beneficial across the different areas of life, both professional and personal.
The repetitive process of learning a musical instrument, in a manner focused on mindfulness and hand-eye coordination, leads to demonstrable, quantifiable therapeutic benefits in both coginition and fine-motor skills, not to mention developing the DISCIPLINE to push through when you’re not in the mood!
“When inspiration inevitably wanes, discipline steps in and picks up the slack…”
Mindfulness being the key factor, the most successful students of music are the ones that pursue high levels of polish at all levels of the learning process. From the fundamentals (consistency of tempo & efficacy of movement) to the higher levels of execution involving multiple layers of successful execution of a pasage that evokes emotion from even the most simplistic of listener! You may not know how the musician is doing it, but YOU’LL KNOW when the musician is doing it right!
For some folks, learning or re-learning a musical instrument serves as a physical therapy to re-gain lost capability of apendages. Case after case of individuals who demonstrated discipline in the process of learning or re-gaining lost capacities through music education have cemented the activity as a go-to therapy for a wide variety of people facing cognitive and physiological health challenges.
The social aspects of Band, and orchestra for that matter, are another well studied subject. More often than not the first opportunity for young people, especially those who are not very sports oriented, Band & Orchestra is going to be the first time they’ll experience what it is to be part of something that is bigger than themselves and their role’s importantance to the group on a whole. So, not only are there personal health benefits to be had, but also one’s efficacy as a musician and an individual in their social groups are also honed in the process.
Performing within a large group like a concert band can help even the most shy person overcome their fear of public performance. That collective dynamic also works wonders for stage fright. A concert band tends to be 30-50 people and an individual that may suffer from stage fright will find that, although they’re still nervous on performance day, being part of a larger group of people working towards the same thing will help them focus on something else instead of the scary looking audience staring back at them!
Used to be in band in middle school or high school? Opportunities for adults to continue playing in a concert band are available for those that look! In my experience having traveled throughout the different regions of the United States and through conversations with the colleagues I’ve worked with who are from across the nation, the tradition of band and orchestra is still going! Long lasting community ensembles with decades of presence in their regions are still going strong. New community ensembles are ALSO coming online! Miami, Fl. has new opportunities for adults looking to play again! It’s never too late to get back to doing what you once loved!
