Skip to content

Content starts here

CLOSE ×

Red Membership Card

AARP Membership — $15 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.

Legal Disclaimer

4:35

7 Truths About Music

The surprising ways that our brains respond to melodies, rhythms and catchy tunes

Think it’s too late to learn a musical instrument? Guess again. Cognitive neuroscientist Daniel Levitin says his grandmother learned to play piano at age 80 — and played daily until she was 97. Levitin reveals an assortment of fascinating musical facts, from when our tastes develop to the link between music and dance.

More From Staying Sharp

A wooden key rack on the wall with three sets of keys hanging from it

Find Your Keys Every Time

MEMBERS ONLY

A question mark on a person's tongue

Find the Fact on the Tip of Your Tongue

MEMBERS ONLY

A close-up view of a man playing a guitar

Learning Music After Age 50

Benefits Recommended For You

Legal Disclaimer: Staying Sharp, including all content and features, is offered for informational purposes and to educate users on brain health care and medical issues that may affect their daily lives. Staying Sharp is based on a holistic, lifestyle approach to brain health that encourages users to incorporate into their daily lives activities that are associated with general wellness. Nothing in the service should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Features including the Cognitive Assessment and Lifestyle Check-Ins, Additional Tests, exercises, and challenges assess performance at a particular moment in time on certain discrete cognitive tasks. Staying Sharp games are intended for entertainment and recreational purposes only. Various factors may affect performance, including sleep, tiredness, focus, and other social, environmental, or emotional factors. Performance is not indicative of cognitive health and not predictive of future performance or medical conditions.

Unused AARP Rewards points expire 12 months after they are earned, in monthly batches on a rolling basis.