Yamaha Looks to Science to Prove Health Benefits of Music

Barry Bittman, MD, oversees clinical and research studies for the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute.

Music is as old as mankind. And yet, the physical, emotional, and biological effects of playing music have not been widely studied. Over the past several years, the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute has been on a quest to change that. The institute supports what is probably the largest body of scientific research in the world on the biological effects of playing music.

Barry Bittman, MD, the Yamaha institute’s president and CEO, oversees both clinical and laboratory studies for Yamaha. Among the researchers’ findings: “recreational music-making” modulates natural killer cell activity in the body, a marker of immune response, and reduces stress as evidenced by changes in cells at the molecular level.

Anyone who plays music knows about its positive effects first-hand. So, why go to the trouble to prove its benefits scientifically? Because only 7.6% of the U.S. adult population plays a musical instrument, says Dr. Bittman, and musical instruments could be used more widely in health care settings to reduce stress, improve mood, lower blood pressure, and possibly affect the course of many diseases including cancer and heart disease.

LRG: How did your interest in mind-body medicine begin?

BB: I began my career as a mainstream neurologist practicing in the early 1980s. I’m 57. I felt we needed a more collaborative and holistic approach to help people move past their perceived obstacles. In addition to my role as CEO and president of the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute, I serve as CEO and medical director of the Mind-Body Wellness Center in Meadville, Pa. In the early 1990s, we did work on laughter and its positive effects on the immune system, and worked on strategies that enabled people to take a more active role in their health and well-being.

LRG: What sparked your interest in studying music?

BB: We were searching for ways to help people with stress reduction. One day I brought colorful Remo drums to a pulmonary rehabilitation group to see if we could use drumming to help people reduce the stress associated with their illnesses. It turned out to be the Lay’s potato chip effect. People couldn’t get enough! Their oxygen masks were falling off; they were breathing better; laughing. People became alive and animated. I said to myself; this is wonderful! Let’s see if there’s a biological benefit to this. I fell in love with what I saw.

LRG: And your first academic paper on the health effects of music was on drumming?

BB: Yes. Our first paper, in 2001, was on natural killer cell activity in group drumming; it showed that drumming had a positive effect on immune response. That paper, in my opinion, held great importance in kicking off this movement we call “recreational music making.” 

LRG: How do you define “recreational music making”?

BB: Karl Bruhn, chairman of the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute, is considered the father of the music and wellness movement, and spearheaded the concept of recreational music making as a way to promote wellness. At Yamaha, we define recreational music making as music-based activities that unite people of all ages and musical experience. These activities provide exercise, social support, bonding, spirituality, intellectual stimulation, an ability to cope with life’s challenges – it is creative expression that unites body, mind and spirit.

LRG: The Clavinova Connection, where digital pianos (the Clavinova made by Yamaha) are brought to senior centers and other locations sounds like a good example of recreational music making.

BB: Yes. The goal is not music lessons per se, but a way for non-musicians to create music from their hearts and souls within a supportive group. Using pentatonic scales and Clavinova technology, people are able to compose their own pieces without any instruction or prior knowledge of music. Within 2 to 3 minutes, they’re playing as an orchestra. One person could use the Clavinova to sample cello music; another could be ‘playing’ the flute. This is not a synthesizer; these are sampled sounds from real instruments.

LRG: Talk about some of the published research involving the Clavinova.

BB: In one study, we looked at the Clavinova Connection, Clavinova Sing-alongs, and Clavinova-assisted HealthRHYTHMS drum circles, and we documented a positive impact on attentiveness, active participation, socialization, positive mood, affect, contentment/joy, and meaningful self-expression in 550 seniors living in two long-term care centers.  Next we extended our investigation to stressed students. That study, in 2004, using Clavinova-assisted HealthRHYTHMS drum circles, demonstrated reduced burnout, improved mood states, and decreased attrition in 75 first-year nursing students. Cost-savings were projected at $322,000 for each acute care hospital, and more than $1.5 billion annually for the healthcare industry. 

Working with Applied Biosystems – the research firm that successfully deciphered the human genome – we’ve demonstrated effective stress reversal at the DNA level from making music. The study, published in Medical Science Monitor in 2005, was the first of its kind in the field of molecular genomics.

LRG: What research is underway now?

BB: We’re evaluating the impact – at the molecular level – of recreational music making on people with cardiovascular disease. However, rather than limiting our analysis to 47 genes that impact cancer, heart disease, and inflammatory syndromes, we’re studying the entire human genome. Our hope is to learn more about the role of recreational music making as an effective stress-reduction strategy for people facing life-threatening illnesses.

LRG: Are you a musician?

BB: Yes, I was trained as a classical pianist. My last concert was in New York when I was 14 years old. For me at that time, piano was a love-hate relationship. I didn’t understand the value of music in those early years. I came back to playing after becoming a physician.

LRG: What would you tell someone who says he or she isn’t musical?

BB: We all start out as musicians. I believe we’re hardwired for music. Most people go through life thinking they’re not musical. But that’s not true. It’s innate, and when we can realize our capacity, that’s when it becomes magical.