The Effectiveness of Piano Therapy vs. Piano Listening on Manual Dexterity in the Elderly

Does active piano practice help recover hand dexterity in older adults, or does social interaction and music-listening alone affect motor performance? Researchers hypothesized improved dexterity after active piano playing, but not after passive piano listening. 15 residents of a retirement community were partnered together and completed 2 two-week piano training modules. In module 1, one partner played piano exercises and songs while the other listened. In module 2, partners switched roles. The Purdue Pegboard Test and Box and Block Test assessed fine and gross motor dexterity, before, between, and after the training modules. A repeated measures ANOVA showed a main effect of time on overall fine and gross motor function, but there was no main effect of playing versus listening. Results did not support the hypothesis, but indicate that piano-based therapy requires greater than 2 weeks to begin improving dexterity and may influenced co-occurring socialization.