Video: How Playing Music Makes You Smarter

More and more studies show that learning to play music is good for your brain—particularly if you start as a child, but even if you begin as an adult. This TED-ed graphic slide presentation by educator Anita Collins (and directed by Sharon Colman Graham), explains that both listening and playing music is extremely beneficial. When we listen to music, multiple areas of the brain become active and engaged, but if we actually play an instrument, that same activity turns into a "full-body brain workout." This clever video shows us just what is happening in a musician’s brain and the long-term effects of this over time for not just our brains, but our whole lives.