Two randomised trials give the clearest picture for older adults who take up the piano. Both are careful about what they claim, and so is this article.
A 16 week trial with adults aged 60 to 80
In 2022, Bugos and Wang followed 155 adults aged 60 to 80 through 16 weeks of piano group lessons, with 90 minute sessions twice a week. Working memory and processing speed improved. A computer-based training group improved on those two as well, so they were not special to piano. Verbal fluency, the ability to switch between word categories, improved only in the piano group.
A year of lessons, compared with guided music listening
A trial from Hanover and Geneva (Mack and colleagues) gave 153 healthy older adults a year of piano lessons or of guided music listening. Both groups improved on cognitive flexibility, which is the ability to switch between tasks. The piano group had a small edge on one measure. A related report from the same project, published in 2025, found better quality of life with piano lessons, again compared with music listening.
The honest summary
Piano lessons are good for you, and so is music in general. The effects are modest, and some of them appear with other activities too. Nobody has shown that piano prevents decline. What the trials do show is that starting late is not pointless, and that regular lessons over several months are worth it.
Frequently asked questions
Does piano prevent dementia?
No study cited here shows that. The trials measured memory, speed, flexibility and quality of life in healthy older adults.
Is piano better than other brain training?
In the 2022 trial, working memory and speed improved with piano and with a computer program. Verbal fluency improved only with piano.
How long before benefits appear?
The trials ran 16 weeks and a year. The authors of the year-long trial suggest effects may need more than six months.