9 Skills You Can Learn From Music and Take Anywhere You Go

When you decide to learn a musical instrument – be it a guitar or an electronic drum set –  you pick up more than the ability to make music. While that is already a fulfilling outcome in itself, most musicians get more out of their musical studies than the obvious perks.

Sometimes, a musician decides to deviate from his original path and chooses not to get into the industry for the time being. When this happens to you, don’t fret — all your hard work will not go to waste.

As a music major, you get to hone nine life skills you can take anywhere you go, including:

1. Time management

Cramming is impossible when you’re learning music. Figuring out a song or an instrument right before a performance or a lesson just won’t work.

You see, music takes time to settle into the brain. It takes even more time to get your hands or voice used to the sound you’re after. This means you need to manage your time well when learning a new musical instrument or song.

Understanding the timeline necessary to learn music is an excellent practice of time management.

For example, as you learn how to play a high-quality stringed instrument, you should consider how long it’ll take, how much time you can spend to practice, and how to spend it efficiently.

You can use the same process in other settings, including planning a large-scale project and the like.

2. Problem solving

In music, the answer isn’t always straightforward. You may find it difficult to execute a passage, interpret a specific score, or even find the motivation to write songs.

When you hit roadblocks like this, you’ll need to find a unique and creative solution, like watching a tutorial, doing some research, consulting an expert, or asking a friend. 

Ultimately, these situations will give you the chance to learn problem-solving skills, which you can use in other aspects of life – even on a different career path.

3. Adaptability

Adapting to change and adjusting to any situation are among the most sought-after characteristics of an employee. Even if you don’t intend to go into a musical career, learning music can help you gain the skills needed to adapt to any situation.

You see, musicians are faced with plenty of different situations that require such flexibility. From adapting your style to a different musical genre to adjusting to the requirements of a particular song or person you’re working with, there are plenty of opportunities to hone your adaptability in music.

4. Perseverance

Even people born with a natural talent for singing or playing instruments will still face difficult situations in music. This is why they need to practice repeatedly to hone their craft.

Of course, things don’t always go the way musicians want. Like any other job, they face roadblocks that could lead to frustrating situations. In these cases, having experience in practicing perseverance will help you face any challenges that may come your way.

Be it learning a new piece or overcoming musical challenges; there are a lot of chances to develop perseverance through music. Instead of giving up, musicians perform a task repeatedly – going slowly at first – until they perfect even the most difficult parts of a song or composition.

5. Communication

Communication is crucial in any aspect of life, and good communication is considered an extremely valuable soft skill in any industry. This means that having a knack for speaking and listening to other people can determine a musician’s success and failure.

Because of their natural sensitivity to people’s emotions and deep empathy, musicians can use both verbal and nonverbal cues in communicating with each other and the rest of the crew. They can even read and gauge the audience’s emotional state based on the latter’s reactions – all while performing on stage.

When you’ve been doing this for quite some time, you may pick up a lot of things that can be helpful in communication, even if you’re no longer involved with the music industry.

6. Collaboration

Bands, chorales, and other musical groups are also types of teams. In some cases, individual artists collaborate on special projects and combine their different musical styles with others to make wonderful music together.

For this reason, musicians also have plenty of opportunities to practice teamwork. To achieve the expected results, they have to overcome personal differences and cultivate a sense of responsibility to help each collaborating party carry out their role to form a cohesive whole.

7. Quick thinking 

In music, you’ll also be required to make plenty of split-second decisions. This means that, as an artist, you always think fast and stay on your toes to adapt to surprises, minor mistakes, and unexpected turn of events.

Does that sound familiar? Of course, it does. Almost any other job requires quick thought processing for effective problem solving.

8. Patience

Playing music and practicing the same thing repeatedly is an effective way to cultivate patience in a person. When you work on perfecting even the tiniest details in a musical score or track, you’ll find value in maintaining a level head and working patiently – albeit slowly – towards your goal.

You see, practicing down to the most minute detail makes mastering music more fulfilling. Plus, most music teachers recommend a slow and steady practice pace, which, as you know, requires a lot of patience.

9. Self-discipline

Besides patience, you also need to have self-discipline in learning music.

From participating in musical groups, taking music classes, or performing in recitals, a musician’s life can be hectic. To accomplish everything that needs to be done within a given timeframe, they must learn to stick to their schedule and practice self-discipline.

These are all skills needed to become a music publisher.

Of course, this particular attribute can also be used outside the music industry. For example, working in the corporate world means you’ll be faced with a lot of deadlines.

Besides appreciating harmony, melody, and lyrical prowess, music can teach you many things that you can use in other aspects of your life, including the transferrable skills discussed in this article.

AUTHOR BIO

Amrit Shivlani is the Founder and CEO at Music Majlis, a community-driven e-commerce platform that offers a wide variety of musical instruments and equipment for every musician and sound professional. The company’s goal is to make music-making, recording, producing and mixing accessible and available to everyone.