Efficacy of a short-term intense piano training program for cognitive aging: A pilot study

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of a short-term intense piano training program on executive functions in healthy older adults. Thirty-four adult participants with little to no formal music training were recruited and completed a battery of standardized cognitive measures at three time points: pre-training, pre-training two (upon completion of a control time period), and post-training. The piano training program included 30 hours of focused music theory, finger dexterity exercises, bimanual coordination exercises, technical exercises, performance duets, and standard piano repertoire. Results of a Repeated Measures MANOVA show significantly enhanced verbal fluency and processing speed, post-training; however, no difference was found in verbal memory performance. Data suggest that a short-term intense piano training program may benefit cognitive performance in areas of verbal fluency and processing speed. Short-term intense music programs may be an appropriate structure for a cognitive training program with the added benefit of increased interest in continued music participation.