The Effectiveness of Piano Playing as A Cognitive Training Program for The Elderly

Abstract

Background: Aging may lead to the deterioration of cognitive functions, including memory, attention and executive function. Accordingly, brain training could be beneficial for the elderly. Previous studies have reported that practicing music could improve cognitive functions in the elderly.

Objectives: To study the effectiveness of piano playing on cognitive functions in the elderly by comparing the cognitive scores acquired from an experimental group and a control group, as well to compare between pre- and post-piano playing lessons.

Materials and methods: This was a quasi-experimental study. Thirty participants were recruited from the Wood Ball Sports Club of the Federation of Associations of the Elders of Thailand, Kanchanaburi Province by purposing sampling, with 15 participants per group. The experimental group participated in a “One to Five Piano Training Program”. All participants were evaluated for cognitive functions by neuropsychological test pre- and post-piano playing lessons. Data analysis was done by comparing the mean of each sub-test.

Results: The mean scores of the Trail Making Test Part–A (TMT-A) for the experimental group between pre- and post-piano playing lessons showed a statistically significant difference (t = 2.41, p < 0.05). Regarding the mean scores of the Stroop test and Digit span, there was no statistically significant difference.

Conclusion: According to the results, piano playing can improve cognitive function (attention, executive function). Therefore, this is an alternative way to train the brain to slow the deterioration of cognitive functions.