It's no secret that the road to better musicianship involves dedicated time and energy. Other than the obvious benefit of "fun," recent studies have proven that there is indeed a measurable physical benefit to the human body in the area of stress relief.

Stress has also been discovered as a catalyst for diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The logical conclusion follows that active participation in music yields positive steps toward better health and inherently, the prevention of these diseases.

It's no exaggeration to say that music making is conceptually as important as diet and exercise in basic health care. Of course, a balanced approach to all three, diet, exercise and music-making is in order; nine hours of practicing isn’t any more practical than nine hours of cycling.

We advocate a systematic routine of practicing. Better to practice in frequency (regular but smaller intervals of time) rather than longevity (hours at a time, interrupted by long gaps of inactivity) for learning retention as well as physical conditioning.

More on the concept of a musically "balanced" diet later, but for now, rest assured that your music-making is quite literally, for you own good!

Read more on music and wellness.

Posted by Ted at January 25, 2006 06:12 AM