From Playing Beethoven to Passing the Bar - The Benefits of Studying Music

“I don’t see what piano has to do with what I want to be when I grow up.”

In a pose of defiance, ten-year old Brittany made this statement at our first lesson together. Intrigued, I asked, “And what do you want to be when you grow up?” Her answer: a lawyer.

Some students study music because their parents want them to; while others are inspired by someone they know or have heard in performance. Regardless of the reason or musical instrument studied, the benefits of music study are the same. Here are just a few benefits, which I described to this aspiring lawyer that day:

Time and Project Management Skills: Whether she knows it or not, Brittany is learning to successfully balance her caseload: homework, extracurricular activities, social life and several aspects of music. By the time she passes the bar, she will be a pro at managing several cases at one time.

Analytical Skills: Students learn to identify patterns in their music and study its various forms. Whether a student grows up to dissect a criminal profile like Brittany or write a doctoral thesis on the translation study of James Joyce’s literary works like a friend of mine, these students will have finely honed their analytical skills.

Improved Academic Performance: Countless studies conclude that students who study music have significantly higher spatial-temporal abilities than their non-musical counterparts. The figure varies from 34% to 80% higher. Not surprisingly, music students shine in mathematics and the sciences. As adults, they excel as doctors, teachers, engineers and lawyers.

Enhanced Communication Skills: Music isa language in its own right, with its own symbols and syntax. According to Alberta Learning, studying a second language enhances a student’s communication skills and vocabulary in their primary language. Music students learn to convey emotions and imagery to audiences unfamiliar with “the language of music.” The result is more eloquent communicators, regardless of their line of work.

Develop Teamwork Skills: When musicians young and old perform with a choir, band or symphony, they learn to play in synch and blend into a cohesive unit. They must polish their listening skills and learn to work with different personalities and working styles. Hmmm…sounds like a typical office, doesn’t it?

One year later, Brittany doesn’t balk as much whenever I draw parallels between her songsand her career aspirations. It’s a complete turnaround from the person who wanted to walk out of our first lesson. These days, she just smiles knowingly and starts to play.

***

Several years have passed since I've taught Brittany. However, the benefits of learning music remain constant. Here are a few more articles that go over other benefits to studying a musical instrument:

Twelve Benefits of Music Education

18 Benefits of Playing a Musical Instrument

Benefits of Music Education

Music "Tones the Brain", Improves Learning

Statistical Support Displaying the Benefits of Studying Music: Part 1 | Part 2

Originally published in the Somerset/Bridlewood Community Newsletter in 2004. Updated on March 28, 2013. All rights reserved by Rhona-Mae Arca.

Musicians and Medical School

There has been a fascinating discussion thread that several members of Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir have been participating in. It was inspired by the interview I did with medical student and Virtual Choir member Laura Slattery.

I thought I had already written an article explaining why approximately 60% of medical students have studied music but alas, I have not. To make up for it, I did track down some articles that have already been done on the subject:

Achieving Balance: Medicine and the Arts

Do Musicians Have Better Brains?

Musicians Turned Doctors

Music, Medicine and the Art of Learning

The Comparative Academic Abilities of Students in Education and in Other Areas of a Multi-Focus University

I think a lot of it has to do with the benefits of learning music. Many transferable skills are taught, which affect how quickly we musicians can process data and make decisions. Ah, now this reminds me of an article I did write. I'll update it and post it here.

Music and Med School

One of my piano parents inquired what makes music lessons so attractive to university faculties such as medicine and engineering. In the 1990s, Lewis Thomas, a physician and biologist conducted a study on undergraduate majors of medical school applicants. Of all successful applicants, 66% of them were music majors.

Closer to home, I can tell you that many of my former teacher's students have gone on to study engineering, another demanding program. One of the best pianists from my university piano class went on to be a surgeon. Another friend earned the Gold Medal in his graduating class at the University of Lethbridge and later went onto become a Rhodes Scholar, completing his Ph.D. thesis analysing the works of writer James Joyce, while playing trombone in community orchestra - for fun!

Music study involves so many parts of the brain, teaching everything from creative expression to analysis, ingenuity to working under pressure and from self-discipline to project management. And much more. These are all skills that are valued in medicine and engineering.

I have done a couple of blog entries on how "music lessons make you smarter" ("A New Study on the Benefits of Music Education" and "Why Study Music"). But don't take my word on it. Check out Will Piano Lessons Make My Child Smarter?

Lifelong Lessons from Great Music Teachers

Mrs. Ginzburg loved highlighters. They are pretty popular in my studio too. Credit: Rhona-Mae Arca

My last piano teacher passed away one year ago this week. Thinking of Irina sparked memories of all my music teachers. I thought I would pay tribute to Irina as well as to all the people who helped shape me as a musician.  

Lynn Eamer was a stern woman who terrified me. Mrs. Eamer taught me the importance of learning how to read. In my second year of piano, she discovered that I still hadn’t learned how to read notes (I was playing solely by ear). I still have the 100 lines she made me write of all the letter names.

When we moved, I studied with a woman named Margaret Fraser. I only studied with her for a year. She loaned me a Reader’s Digest songbook, which for some odd reason, was never returned to her. I still use it when I play at gigs. Margaret wanted me to be more relaxed. I played at either one extreme or the other (tense versus relaxed and sloppy).

Elizabeth Mahaffy had the challenge of teaching me as a pre-teen and teen. She was very sympathetic to the woes of teenaged angst. Elizabeth told me weekly to "listen to what you're playing" and taught me that having a compassionate ear is very important.

Elinor Lawson taught me for four years at the University of Lethbridge. I completed my B.A. in Music and my Gr. 10 piano with her. Elinor is an incredible accompanist with perfect pitch.

She taught me many things: how to make the most of my practice time when I had a repetitive strain injury, how to analyze my music to improve my memory, a few cheats to play through sections designed for larger hands and developed my inner ear. Many of the skills she taught me to practice efficiently were simple time and project management skills that I’ve applied successfully to other areas in my life.

My last full-time teacher was Irina Ginzburg, whom I studied with for three-and-a-half years. She was a vivacious spirit who demanded technical precision and overflowing passion. Our best was not her best. She didn’t just want her students to play well; she wanted us to play excellently. She once told me to drill one trouble spot until I got it right 11 times out of 10 so that I could get it perfectly 10 times out of 10 on stage.

Mrs. G taught me to channel all my frustrations from work into my music, helped me put an end to uncontrollable performance jitters and encouraged me to teach. She saw me through to my Royal Conservatory associateship diploma in piano performance. It was a bumpy road but we were both satisfied with the end result.

Sometimes, I catch myself saying something that one of my teachers said or doing something the exact same way. Not surprising since now I am teaching and performing. Sometimes, their words float into my mind in non-musical situations.

I suppose that’s the greatest tribute to them—the fact that even now— I continue to apply what they taught me.

© 2005 by Musespeak™, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. All rights reserved.

Why Study Music?

Historians have found that the further back into history we go, the more important music was to older civilizations. Ancient Greeks, for example, believed that music was the key to the cosmos. Pythagoras the famous mathematician, not only developed the theorem for right angles, but was lauded for his discovery of the ratios of intervals in music. Both were considered of equal importance. The benefits for studying music haven’t changed much over the centuries. Numerous studies have shown that students who study music, achieve higher grades than their non-musical counterparts. Higher grades is just part of the equation. Here is just a synopsis of the benefits:

• time and project management skills

• analytical skills

• improved academic performance (between 34 – 80% higher), especially in math and the sciences

• high spatial-temporal abilities

• enhanced communication skills

• teamwork skills (ensemble work)

For more information, you can visit the following sites:

• National Association for Music Education

• Twelve Benefits of Music Education