Studies show that music can help make you smarter and has great and positive effects on the mind. Besides the expression and catharsis that comes with playing music, there are many benefits to your brain functionality that carries over into all sorts of other areas. Similarly, there are many non-musical things that you can do to enhance your piano skills, such as juggling, for example. Building hand to hand coordination is crucial to the neural network that operates the piano. Similarly, since a piano is a percussion instrument, one can easily and effectively practice and learn percussion everywhere they are. Building your sense of rhythm and groove can be done off the piano anywhere you can tap your fingers and hands. It’s a powerful tool to get your playing in shape, as is learning the true language of music, which never gets rusty. You ready? There’s no better time to learn to play than right now!
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/using-music-to-close-the-academic-gap/280362/