Singing in a choir or playing a musical instrument are favourite pastimes for many Australians.
The bonus is, it's good for your health.
Researchers at the Western Sydney University institute say even a small amount of training can have long-lasting effects.
They say playing a musical instrument in retirement is one of the best ways to stay mentally and physically agile.
Dr Jennifer MacRitchie is a music and psychology researcher with the The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development at Western Sydney University.
She's been studying the benefits of learning an instrument for the first time in people aged over 65 - in this case, the piano. After participants completed a six-week course of music lessons, Dr MacRitiche looked at how it affected their hand function.
She tells "They did show increases in their processing speed, being able to do tasks a little bit faster and we also saw that the connection between their brain and their hand muscles was a lot stronger. In a task like playing the piano you're using your fingers an awful lot and you don't obviously know that that's what you're doing because it's quite enjoyable. So after a certain period of time what you will find is that your connection between your brain and that muscle is getting stronger. So really it's something similar to doing your hand exercises, but because it's a lot of fun and because you're getting other benefits out of it, it's a bit more subconscious."
78 year-old Mary Webb always wanted to play the piano. This study finally gave her the chance,.
She says "Age is only a number! Don't worry about how old you are, just get in there and do it."
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