A number of successful people have been trained in playing music. A few names include Condoleeza Rice, Bruce Kovner and Alan Greenspan come to mind.
What this points to, thanks to a number of studies, is that academic achievement is strongly linked to serious music training.
What is also clear is that this correlation isn’t a coincidence and goes beyond the math-music association. A number of high achievers are sure that this kind of training opens their mind up to think more creatively.
Probably the best answer as to why this connection exists is because it gives you the confidence that you can create something of value. But that’s not all: it helps you to look beyond what exists at the moment while giving an outlet to express yourself differently.
Apart from this, if you put in years of practice while being competitive, this creates a “drive for perfection” too. Also, if you play in an ensemble, it helps you to work collaboratively with other people – another key aspect to success.
Finally, music, according to a number of amateur musicians who are successful in their fields, works as a hidden language that enhances one’s ability to make connections between disparate or even contradictory ideas.
Yet most of all, probably the biggest advantage to studying music even if you work in another field is that it proves that you can be better than most people if you outwork them – practicing that piece one more time in order to get it absolutely right.