Skills for Progress in Anything

Skills for Progress in Anything

Once last fall, I was having a discussion with a businessman, and he said “I love hiring musicians!” I said “Why’s that?” He responded musingly, “Because I know they will always think creatively and outside the box, and true musicians are typically highly motivated to find solutions.”

While I wasn’t surprised by his answer, I found it fascinating from someone in the business world that those types of skillsets are hard to find in today’s workforce. We all know about growth mindset by now, but reliving this conversation has me wondering...

How do other musically-gained skills apply to other facets of life? I’m not just talking about the amazing benefits we all know by now - spatial awareness, critical thinking, perseverance, etc...I’m referencing a different outlook on life, and approach to challenges specifically. I’ll start with what I know and head into what I’ve found.

At the beginning stages of any kind of music lesson, the student is simply creating a relationship with the instrument. In a relatable analogy, I could say I have many acquaintances, but I couldn’t tell you that I’m “friends” with all those people, in the sense of having a beyond surface level relationship with them. For all of us, some friendships take right away, while some need some TLC. So in this sense, the beginner has to foster an enjoyment and love of music first, and that amount of time can vary person to person, but the journey is the same.

Next, a musician starts to develop a habit of listening, so curating aspiration, then, how to practice developing those skills that apply, and finally as a self-generative student, having a developed understanding of how to approach a challenging piece of music.

Ear Training = Listening Skills

One of the reasons we highlight outside listening and exposure to songs outside our natural repertoire is the mentality it places us to use critical listening skills.

Active listening (vs passive listening) is a highly underdeveloped sense that can benefit our relationships at work and home. Statistics show that most people only retain 17-25% of what they listen to.

But, by practicing active listening through music, we can start to listen, then understand, those around us, just as we start to understand music the more we listen to it.

Another unsung benefit in listening specifically to music we may not like right away, is creating resiliency and tolerance that can give us patience in testing social situations, and perhaps teach us our first impression is not always the best impression.

Group & Audio Performance = Playing Well with Others

As we practice playing with audio tracks and songs, we hone our ability to listen to cues, stay aware of our surroundings, pace ourselves, identify our weaknesses, stay calm, and most importantly, simply think about the very next step.

This is highly beneficial in a group setting of any kind; since the musician is focused on the bigger picture, which is the outcome of the piece being played, in an outside setting, we can use this skill to benefit any group project in school or work, taking accountability for our own role to play, but also building others up to create a positive environment while we identify our opportunities for growth.

You’ve heard my spiel about multitasking enough, but simply taking the next step, especially when we are facing something in our lives that’s particularly challenging, can be a great bite-sized approach to seemingly daunting problems that arise.

Flow State = Contentment

What is flow state? I describe it as a feeling of being completely submerged in what I’m doing. We all know the feeling - we can pump out a paper, or zone out on a run.

In musical development, we want to find ourselves in a space just outside our comfort zone, enough to create concentration, with a unified sense of accomplishment, and time seems to go away. To me, this is flow state.

Psychologists have been intrigued by flow state for some time, and sing it’s praises. According to many sources, flow state contributes to emotional regulation, fulfillment and happiness, and some research suggests an increase in dopamine released in the brain.

Now this is just an anecdotal theory of mine, so take it for what it’s worth. From what I’ve seen in my own life and society at large, is time spent on our devices equals instant dopamine release, therefore, higher levels of device time is needed to achieve the same amount of contentment.

My mom likes to share this study about how when dogs spend time finding treats in a puzzle, it creates the same amount or more mental energy spent than physical activity. It even has a name, “Contrafreeloading”.

So if this is the case for dogs, how much more as humans would we need mental stimulus to feel a sense of accomplishment? I believe giving ourselves a routine of mental stimulation can help us feel purpose and satisfaction in the day to day. And hopefully, teach those around us to find contentment in the mundane!