Music Makers Young and Old - Head to your local Music Park and Celebrate ‘Make Music Day’ in The Great Outdoors!

To celebrate Make Music Day on June 21, Percussion Play highlights the positive effects of music-making and its ability to promote inclusive play and benefit everyone.

Make Music Day is a unique event open to anyone who wants to take part – old or young, amateur or professional and just about every musical style is represented. People and organizations from 1,000 towns and cities in 120 countries create events to share their music annually.

Making music can have many health benefits, especially for the brain. Drumming is one of the few activities that uses both the creative and logical sides of the brain. This can lead to better sleep, being more creative, improved physical and emotional healing, boosting the immune system, and producing feelings of well-being. Listening to and playing music is one of the few activities that has been scientifically proven, time and time again, to lift our mood.

Both young and old can benefit from music-making. Studies on children show being exposed to music from a young age, particularly within a school or nursery setting, has been proven to encourage teamwork, self-confidence, empathy, improved communication skills, and intellectual curiosity. Children who have had the opportunity to develop these skills and behaviors in early life often turn out to be happier, healthier, and higher-achieving adults.

Older people who make music see a number of health benefits such as lowered blood pressure, decreased heart rate, reduced stress, anxiety, and depression. Making music, particularly playing outdoor musical instruments, can have many physical benefits for older adults because playing large instruments means people have to engage the whole body, and so these types of instruments are often used in physiotherapy because they encourage the development of both fine and gross motor skills.

Jody Ashfield, Founder, and CEO of Percussion Play, said: “We are proud our instruments are helping people make music around the world. In parks, gardens, libraries, schools, and hospitals, people are benefiting from music-making and understanding how important it is for both our mental and physical health. As world leaders in manufacturing outdoor musical instruments, we encourage everyone to get outside on June 21 and make music!”.

You can read more research on the benefits of music on the benefits of here.

You can read more about Make Music Day here