Noteworthy

Playing a musical instrument is the key to success!

Music training is the "key" to success! Creative thinking, years of practice, and competition all contribute. What do Condoleezza Rice, Alan Greenspan, hedge fund billionaire Bruce Kovner, Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, Woody Allen, Paula Zahn, Chuck Todd, Andrea Mitchell, Larry Page, a co-founder of Google,  and Steven Spielberg have in common? They all play musical instruments. In this article from the New York Times, Joanne Lipman interviews several highly successful people, who all played an instrument.

Playing a musical instrument benefits your brain.

When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks that go off in musicians' brains when they play, and examines some of the long-term positive effects of this mental workout. Watch this lesson by Anita Collins, with animation by Sharon Colman Graham.