Playing an instrument or singing is beneficial at any age, and it's never too late to start

Shortly before Miguel Iglesias turned 50, he made a promise to his mum. "I was playing [the recordings of] some piano music for her while I was with her in her deathbed. And I said I'd learn those pieces for her," Iglesias says. Iglesias's mum was a pianist, and Iglesias himself learnt to master the instrument at a conservatorium during the 90s.

But back then, his musical interest lay in singing, alongside a career as a scientist. He stopped playing the piano but continued to sing as part of a choir in Sydney.

Educator and researcher Dr Anita Collins says that people can enjoy the benefits of playing music at any age.