What Is Stress?
Stress is the body’s reaction to harmful situations — whether they’re real or perceived. When you feel threatened, a chemical reaction occurs in your body that allows you to act in a way to prevent injury. This reaction is known as “fight-or-flight,” or the stress response. During stress response, your heart rate increases, breathing quickens, muscles tighten, and blood pressure rises. You’ve gotten ready to act. It is how you protect yourself.
Stress can cause a variety of symptoms and affect your overall well-being.
- Symptoms of stress include:
- irritability
- anxiety
- depression
- headaches
- insomnia
Piano music relaxation: benefits
Studies show that playing the piano improves mental health. People who play the piano tend to experience less anxiety and depression than their nonmusical counterparts. Playing for a few minutes a day can improve self-esteem, make you feel more positive, and can lower your blood pressure.
Unlike other instruments, the piano is easy to play (it really is!). There is no physical pain involved with learning to play the piano. When new to the guitar, one must build up calluses on the fingers, and when learning to play a brass or woodwind instrument, one must learn how to use your facial muscles and lips to produce sound. Both are often painful and can dissuade otherwise enthusiastic students from continuing to learn. To play the piano, all you have to do is sit, and press down a key.
In our teaching approach we use the naturally mood-lifting properties of piano music for relaxation, and to help people improve their mental health and overall well-being.
This form of piano music relaxation is helpful for managing day to day stressful situatuons. Moreover it may help improve the quality of life for people experincing occasional and chronic stress. Anyone can engage in music therapy; you don’t need a background in music to experience its beneficial effects.
Sonata’s teachers
Our teachers are New York University Music Therapy graduates, who are specialized in piano teaching and music therapy for relaxation.
They have obtained American Music Therapy Association–approved degree, which combines practical clinical experiences, advanced course work in music therapy methods, as well as theory and research.