Fountain Of Youth Discovered!!  Music aids older Americans Research has proven that exposure to music at an early age can profoundly affect a child's development. Now, new studies show benefits for senior citizens as well - with music helping to improve their health and well-being. In fact, seniors of all ages and skill levels say that music plays an important role in their lives. Dr. Joyce Brothers says that it's never too late to bring the benefits of music into your life. She shares her tips on how to help make learning or playing an instrument a positive experience for older Americans. Studies have found that teaching healthy elderly people to play music decreases their anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Almost everything is involved in musical skill - physical coordination, mental concentration, memory skills, visual and aural ability. The entire brain is involved in making music. Every one of those black dots on a page of music is a set of instructions to a group of muscles.  When an older person takes up an instrument, they cannot fail to improve their lives. They many never get to Carnegie Hall but they cannot fail. Age is not a barrier to learning and learning keeps the mind and muscles alert. It has also been found that learning a musical instrument has changed older men and women's auditory physiology, making listening to music even more enjoyable.  Psychologists have studied what happens when an ordinary person sits down at the piano, or picks up a violin or clarinet - and they are amazed at what happens. When a musician reaches a fast passage, the number of individual motor actions running in the brain indicates that the process of performing the music is automatic. Here's how that works: At first, the beginning musician learns to make complicated moves on an instrument very laboriously - and slowly. He or she works out details step by step, corrects them and practices them over and over. The cerebellum tracks that process and takes over when to movements are sure and swift, allowing the musician to repeat them automatically. This activity "exercises" the brain.  Sounds can also positively change your brain. Some hospitals have patients in critical care units listen to classical music. One doctor reported that a half hour of music produced the same effect as ten milligrams of valium. How To Help Make Learning or Playing an Instrument A Positive Experience for Older Americans RENTING VS. BUYING: If you decide to play a musical instrument, you can increase your pleasure and decrease the pressure by renting the instrument instead of buying it. If you rent, you can come to a point when you can fairly say to yourself, “it’s not going to work. I don’t truly get delight.” Then you can return the instrument and rent another of a different kind. TAKE A CLASS: Whether it is a private lesson, group lesson, or even a music appreciation class at your local community college, classes will keep you motivated as well as introduce you to other people who share your interests. Many places have special programs specifically geared toward older musicians, but don’t be intimidated if you end up joining a group that included younger people. You are all the same skill level, and each person brings something to the group from which the others can learn. MUSIC IS GOOD MEDICINE: Even if you don’t play an instrument, music can still play an important part in your life. Whether you’ve had heart surgery or a bad day at the office, some soothing sounds may help. Music has the power to lower your pulse and blood pressure and can bring down anxiety. CHOOSE MUSIC YOU LIKE: It’s important that the music be something you like in order to receive the benefits. There are different brain changes if the music is pleasant or unpleasant. Researchers are currently studying the “shivers down the spine” phenomenon that people often feel particularly strong about, but studies do show that people’s moods tend to swing up or down depending upon the particular music being played. ENJOY YOURSELF!: If you played an instrument as child or young adult, there may have been all kinds of pressure that others put on you, or you put on yourself, to become a professional. You now have the luxury of playing music just for the joy of it! Dr. Joyce Brothers writes a daily syndicated newspaper column and several monthly magazine columns.  She is a contributor to the "Today" show, and frequently makes film and TV guest appearances