3 Secret Skills Musicians (Probably) Didn’t Even Know They Had
When you think of the skills that musicians have, you might think of something like excellent eye-hand coordination, a natural ability to hear and reproduce pitch, or the confidence to perform in front of large crowds. After all, these are skills musicians regularly use to hone their craft. But there is a little more to it than that.
The skills you pick up as a musician can do far more than just landing you that audition or helping you conquer a new piece. Though you may have never noticed them before, these skills can actually bleed into the other areas of your life. We’re going to share with you three skills that most musicians have, and probably didn’t even know they had! We’re here to connect the dots to these skills and your countless hours of practice with your instrument!
1. Ability to Learn a New Language
There have been numerous studies done about music and languages, and how knowing one can help you learn the other more easily. Music is, essentially, a language. And a paper published in Frontiers about Cognitive Auditory Neuroscience claimed that “spoken language is a special type of music.”
When learning music, musicians learn how to hone in their hearing from long hours of practice with their instruments, as well as how to pick out slight differences in pitch, pronunciation, and tone. These skills come in especially handy when learning tonal languages (like Chinese, Thai, and Maasai), where the meaning of a word or phrase can change depending on the pitch of the word or where the emphasis is placed. In addition, many musicians learn music as young children, before they can even speak their native language fully. This means that they are engaging many of the language learning parts of the brain at a stage they normally wouldn’t.
Outside of the scientific components of music and language learning, musicians are disciplined. They know how to practice, which will no doubt come in handy when learning a new language.
Want to try learning a new language? Check out Rosetta Stone, here!
2. Ability to Meditate and Focus
Most musicians can relate to getting “in the zone.” You could be concentrating on getting the fingering right for a particular run of notes, listening intently to a recording, or even delivering the best performance of your life! The type of focus you use when learning music is the same sort of focus you use when performing other tasks or doing any type of meditation.
In this way, playing music can be just as relaxing as closing your eyes and clearing your mind. It can also be as productive as acing your next test or completing your taxes. You can transfer your skill of focus and the relaxation that comes with it, to other tasks that need to be done and be even more productive than you might have been otherwise.
3. Ability to Memorize Quickly
Studies show that musicians have better hearing, can listen more closely, and have a much better memory than non-musicians. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to do with the physical ability of your ears. Even in the case of people with similar hearing abilities, musicians typically have a much easier time picking out one voice against a symphony of background noise. It has to do with the way a musician’s brain is wired.
Practicing music re-organizes the brain, and reinforces neural pathways that identify sounds, acting against the natural hearing loss. This reorganization of a musician’s brain also makes room for more memorization. You’ve learned to better recognize patterns (like chord progressions, song structure, movements), and these skills also apply to remembering more than just music. This article from Psychology Today cites a study that shows musicians were consistently able to remember more words (from a list of random words) and drawings than non-musicians.
Aside from the three skills we’ve listed above, musicians are incredibly self-disciplined and responsible. They’re also great communicators and teammates! And lastly, musicians have the abilities to adapt and remain confident in tough situations.
So at the end of the day, whether you’re a professional or just a recreational musician, you gain a lot of skills by learning your instrument! The skills and techniques you pick up through music can really enrich your life, and are likely transferable to whatever passion or hobby you want to try next!