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Kyle Feeney

Professor Malcolm Campbell

English 1103

2/10/15

Topic Proposal: The Fingers of a Fanatic

Introduction/Overview

I have played string instruments since I was in the second grade. My brother on the other

hand played brass instruments for two years from fifth grade to sixth grade. We both wanted to

learn to play the guitar but for some reason he couldn't pick it up very well. His hands were

awkward and his strumming was terrible but when I tried to play it came pretty easy for me.

After my first lesson I had already learned a song; it was an easy song but it was still a song. My

brother is not dumb but he just can't learn string instruments as fast as me. I heard in a

psychology lecture that when you play string instruments as a child your brain develops a little

differently and it is easier for you to learn to play other string instruments. Because of this

information I have now become curious about what effects different instruments have on

learning skills and what ages are the most critical to learn to play instruments.

There are so many different positive outcomes from just playing an instrument in general.

It doesn't always matter at what age you begin to play an instrument. While it is true that playing

from a younger age helps you learn better as a child there are still many benefits of playing an

instrument at any time in your life. Researchers have shown that playing an instrument will

increase the capacity of your memory. According to an article from The Telegraph online

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magazine, “New research suggests that regularly playing an instrument changes the shape and

power of the brain and may be used in therapy to improve cognitive skills.”

I have found many sources online that speak on my topic and the importance of playing

an instrument. Everyone has an opinion on this topic and there has been many research tests

done so that there is no lack of information on it. I have personal experience myself with playing

instruments as well as playing from a young age which I intend to use, and I also have a lot of

friends who play instruments as well.

I am looking forward to seeing what research shows about different instruments

influencing people differently. There are discussions about which instrument is better to start

learning first and which instrument is better for music theory.

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

I would like to find out from this research a few different things. I want to know what age

is the best to start learning to play an instrument? What instrument should you learn to play first?

What effects does different types of music have on your brain as you play them? What effects

does different types of instruments have on your brain as you play them? What effects does

playing in different settings have on your brain (ie. orchestra or small bands).

My Interest in this Topic

I am interested in learning about the way playing music effects the brain because I love

music and if there is a way to help me learn better and do what I love then I want to do that. I

also hope to help teach my kids how to play different instruments one day and I would love to

know what age to start teaching them at and what instrument to start with. I find this topic very

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interesting and useful to me. I am planning to be a History teacher and if there is a spot that I can

teach music either in school or on the side I would love to do that. If I know what to teach kids in

music to help their brains function better then of course I would love to do that. Plus I think it

would be cool to see different effects of playing in an orchestra verses playing in like a jazz

band.

Next Steps

I plan to go onto websites that talk about what instruments do what for people. I want to

see what the effects of playing the piano are verses playing the guitar. I want to look up

newspaper articles that talk about different people who have made it big and what they started

playing at what age. I will talk to my friends and see what age they began to play and what

instruments they now know how to play. I will also ask them how their grades are to see how it

effects their learning skills.