The Benefits of Playing Music Help Your Brain More Than Any Other Activity

"Music reaches parts of the brain that other things can't," says Catherine Loveday. "It's a strong cognitive stimulus that grows the brain in a way that nothing else does, and the evidence that musical training enhances things like working memory and language is very robust."
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10+ Values Marching Band Students Learn And Why You Should Hire Them
 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-values-marching-band-students-learn-why-you-should-john-gardner

Unlike a basketball team with its starting five, there is no bench in marching band. Everybody is in.  Everybody is a starter. Few other types of groups will involve people from varied backgrounds. There are children of doctors and lawyers marching with children of single-parents working multiple jobs or utilizing government help. There are the students who have their own cars and those who need rides, those with the iPhones and the free phones or no phone. You will find students in most bands from every church in the community and others who have never been inside a church. And yet, with all these differences, when they put that uniform on (actually, even before they dress).....they are all on the same team, all equal. A good result requires the best from everyone.  Students learn teamwork and cooperate with those outside their friend circle.  

--thank you John Gardner

How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain-anita-collins

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.

(Thank you TED-Ed Lessons Worth Sharing)