When I was thirteen years old, I was in a severe car accident and became a Traumatic Brain Injury patient.
Soon after the accident, I found that I had trouble remembering things that I did during the day or people I had met. When I returned to school, I started to have trouble learning and my grades suffered (I had always done well in school before that).
Recent studies show that music has a directly beneficial impact on brain function and possibly overall health. I can personally attest to this finding better than most.
On the recommendation of one of my teachers, I saw a specialist at Yale New Haven Hospital who helped me rehabilitate. In conversation, I learned that he was a percussionist and shared that I was as well. Although he had theorized that playing an instrument could help with brain recovery, he didn't yet have the hard science to back that up. On his recommendation, I dove head first into music and percussion studies. As we progressed through therapy, he noticed my recovery was progressing far faster and more effectively than most of his patients.