Do you love music and want to pick up a new hobby? Learning how to play a musical instrument is a fun and rewarding process. Music is known to help reduce stress, enable older adults to relax, and they can gain great satisfaction from learning how to play a new instrument. Learning new skills helps to keep older adults motivated, engaged, improves memory, and reduces the risk of dementia. Here are our recommendations for instruments to learn easily:
Drums
Drums do not produce a melody, but they are just as fun as any other instrument! Learning the drums is a great way for older adults to improve hand-eye coordination, relieve stress, and get some light exercise. You can learn how to play basic beats on a single drum, or you can even get a full drum set including a bass drum, snare, hi-hat, and crash cymbals. Once you’ve gotten the hang of things, you can even learn how to drum to your favorite song.
Guitar
The guitar is an excellent musical instrument that is suitable for all ages. It allows you to experiment with a wide variety of genres as there are many different types of guitars. From basic chords and scales to more complicated songs, you will find that there are many benefits to playing the guitar. Learning how to play the guitar improves your memory and you can become more focused. The guitar is also a convenient instrument that you can bring around to showcase your abilities to friends and family. Your loved ones are sure to enjoy singing along while you play the guitar.
Ukulele
Like the guitar, the ukulele is easy to master and a great way to sharpen your memory. A ukulele is much lighter than a guitar, thus it is easier to carry around. It also only has four strings and has a much thinner neck than a guitar, which makes it easier to play for older adults who have stiff joints and inflexible wrists.
Piano
The piano may seem like a difficult instrument to play, but older adults will definitely gain a sense of joy and accomplishment during the learning process. As it is a popular musical instrument, it is easy to find learning resources and tutorials online, such as on YouTube. Playing the piano requires concentration, and your coordination will also improve because you must play with both hands. Pianos can be expensive, so if you do not own one yet, you can consider buying a digital piano or electronic keyboard.
Indulge in the Beauty of Music at Blue Ridge
At Blue Ridge, we aim to provide our residents with a wide array of activities and events that will entertain them. You can look forward to many fun and exciting activities, including music lessons that our full-time activities director will prepare for you. The senior living options that we offer are senior assisted living and SHINE® Memory Care program and these programs are specially designed to enhance our residents’ lives by focusing on purpose-driven enrichment activities like singing, music, sensory activities, and arts and crafts.
