Find Focus and Rest Through Music: An Ancient Solution for Modern Problems
Recently I have been reading a couple of books that immediately I could relate to music and its impact on humans. In our hyperconnected world, two books by researcher Alex Soojung-Kim Pang have struck a chord with millions seeking balance: The Distraction Addiction and Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less. Pang’s insights about managing digital overwhelm and finding genuine restoration offer a roadmap for healthier living. And here is the kicker – one of humanity’s oldest activities—making music—naturally provides many of the same benefits he describes!
As a musicologist who has spent years studying how music affects our brains and bodies, I’ve observed remarkable parallels between Pang’s recommendations and what happens when we actively engage in music-making, or what scholars call “musicking.” Whether you’re 55, 75, or anywhere in between, picking up an instrument, joining a choir, or even humming along to your favorite songs can be powerful medicine for both scattered attention and an overstimulated nervous system.
Music as “Contemplative Computing”
In Distraction Addiction: Getting the Information You Need and the Communication You Want, Without Enraging Your Family, Annoying Your Colleagues, and Destroying Your Soul Pang introduces the concept of “contemplative computing”- using technology mindfully rather than being used by it. He describes how we can train ourselves to resist the ping of notifications and instead choose when and how to engage with our devices. He advocates for what he calls “sustained attention” – the ability to focus deeply on one meaningful task rather than constantly switching between activities.
Music-making demands exactly this kind of sustained attention, but without screens or notifications competing for our focus. Consider what happens when you’re learning to play “Amazing Grace” on the guitar: you must simultaneously focus on finger placement for the chord changes (G to C to D), maintain steady strumming rhythm, remember the melody line, and coordinate your voice if you’re singing along. Unlike the scattered multitasking Pang warns against – checking email while listening to a podcast while scrolling news – musical attention integrates multiple brain systems toward a single, coherent goal.
Take the example of learning to play a simple waltz on piano. Your left hand maintains a steady “oom-pah-pah” bass pattern while your right hand navigates the melody. This requires what Pang calls “contemplative focus” – complete present-moment awareness where external distractions simply fade away. Many older students describe this as the first time in years they’ve experienced genuine focus without effort or strain.
Research from Johns Hopkins University has shown that when people make music, their brains enter a state similar to meditation, with decreased activity in the default mode network—the brain region associated with self-criticism and rumination. In other words, musicking naturally quiets the mental chatter that often accompanies our digital age anxiety.
For those who worry they’re “too old” to start making music, consider this: studies consistently show that musical training enhances cognitive flexibility and attention control at any age. A 2013 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that adults who took piano lessons for just six months showed significant improvements in attention and memory compared to control groups.
The Art of Active Rest
Pang’s second book, Rest, challenges our cultural obsession with constant productivity. He distinguishes between what he calls “passive rest” (watching TV, scrolling social media) and “active rest” – activities that restore us by engaging different neural networks. He points to examples like Einstein’s daily violin practice, Darwin’s contemplative walks, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s morning piano sessions as ways creative people use deliberate rest to enhance their primary work.
Music-making exemplifies Pang’s ideal of active rest. When a retired teacher picks up the clarinet she played in high school, or when a former executive joins a community choir, they’re engaging what neuroscientists call the brain’s “default mode network” in constructive rather than ruminative ways. Instead of worrying about tomorrow’s doctor appointment while passively watching television, they’re actively creating something beautiful while giving their analytical mind a genuine break.
Consider the specific example of learning to play “The Water is Wide” on acoustic guitar. This involves reading tablature or chord charts (visual processing), forming chord shapes with your fretting hand (fine motor control), maintaining strumming patterns (rhythmic timing), and singing the melody (breath control and pitch matching). Each of these activities engages different brain regions than those used for daily problem-solving and planning, providing what Pang calls “constructive rest.”
The physical aspects of music-making add another layer of restoration. Singing, in particular, activates the vagus nerve, which helps regulate our stress response and promotes feelings of calm and connection. Wind and brass instruments encourage deep, controlled breathing – a practice that directly counters the shallow breathing patterns associated with chronic stress and screen time.
Group music-making offers additional benefits that align perfectly with Pang’s vision of restorative activities. In Rest, he describes how the most refreshing activities often involve what he calls “deep play” – activities that are seriously fun, engaging our whole selves without the pressure of external validation. Singing in a choir or playing in a community band creates exactly this experience.
Imagine joining a local choir working on a piece like “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” During rehearsal, you must listen carefully to the alto section’s harmony while maintaining your own soprano line, watch the conductor’s cues for tempo changes, and breathe in sync with your fellow singers during the phrases. This creates what researchers call “social flow states,” where individual concerns fade into collective harmony. One choir member in her seventies told researchers, “For those two hours every Tuesday, I don’t think about my arthritis, my grown children’s problems, or the news. There’s just the music and this wonderful sense of being part of something bigger.”
Practical Steps for Musical Wellness
The beauty of incorporating music into your wellness routine is its accessibility. You don’t need to become a virtuoso to experience these benefits. Here are some practical approaches, inspired by Pang’s emphasis on gradual, sustainable changes:
Start Small: Like Pang’s recommendation in The Distraction Addiction to begin with short periods of focused attention – perhaps just five minutes of checking email mindfully rather than compulsively – consider starting with brief musical activities. This might mean learning just one simple song like “Puff the Magic Dragon” on ukulele, practicing it for 10 minutes daily until the chord changes (C-Am-F-G) become automatic.
Create Rituals: Pang emphasizes the importance of rituals in managing attention and rest, such as his own practice of closing his laptop at a specific time each evening. Consider making music a similar transition ritual. Perhaps play a few minutes of piano before dinner – even just working through scales or playing “Chopsticks” – or end your day with gentle singing of hymns or folk songs you remember from childhood.
Embrace Imperfection: Just as Pang advocates in Rest for engaging in activities for their intrinsic value rather than external recognition, approach music-making with what he calls “serious play.” If you’re learning harmonica, focus on the joy of producing clear single notes on simple songs like “Oh, Susanna” rather than worrying about advanced techniques. The neurological benefits – improved attention, reduced stress, enhanced mood – occur whether you hit every note perfectly or not.
Seek Community: Look for local adult choirs, community bands, ukulele clubs, or informal jam sessions. Many communities offer programs like “New Horizons Music”, specifically designed for older adults. These programs typically focus on enjoyment and social connection rather than performance pressure. You might find yourself playing simple percussion in a drum circle, learning basic guitar chords in a group setting, or discovering the joy of singing harmony in a choir that welcomes all skill levels.
The Deeper Connection
What makes music particularly powerful as both a focus-training tool and restorative practice is its fundamental role in human experience. Unlike digital technologies, which are historically recent additions to our lives, music-making has been central to human culture for tens of thousands of years. Our brains are literally wired to find meaning, connection, and restoration through musical engagement.
In our age of digital distraction and chronic busyness, perhaps the most radical act isn’t downloading another meditation app or productivity system. Perhaps it’s returning to something as ancient and natural as making music with our voices, hands, and hearts.
As Pang reminds us, the goal isn’t to eliminate technology or constant stimulation entirely, but to find balance and intentionality in how we engage with the world. Music-making offers a time-tested path toward both the focused attention and genuine rest our minds and bodies crave. In a world of endless options, sometimes the oldest solutions are exactly what we need.
