Imagine a world without music. There are no high school marching bands, no commercial jingles, and no need for Grammy Awards. It’s a rather dreary thought, yes?

Fortunately, music exists throughout cultures and enriches lives, something that has been known for years. “We’ve known for centuries that music has health benefits, going back to the early philosophers and thinkers,” said Julene Johnson, a cognitive neuroscientist at the Institute for Health & Aging at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) (Vanchieri, 2024).

According to a study from earlier this year (Vetere et al., 2024), melodies may also help older brains, particularly when they are the ones playing them. All in all, the authors found a clear correlation between cognitive performance and musical variables. Playing an instrument was related to higher working memory and executive functioning, and, in addition, a positive association was found between singing........

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