The Daily Riff - BE SMARTER. ABOUT EDUCATION.

Essentially, legislators and administrators believe that when forced to choose between worthwhile priorities, the most essential function of education is to prepare students for their careers.  Art for art's sake is an argument that essentially frames the music education funding discussion in this way:   "Do I fund programs that are necessary, or those that are a luxury in the context of preparing students for the 'real world?' "

Math and reading are seen as essential in any vocation, music only for the aspiring musician.

Music education is viewed as the garnish on the education plate.

We need to reframe the terms of that debate.

While recent research into the benefits of music education focuses on improved math, science, and I.Q. scores, successful professionals generally attribute only about 15-25% of their success to technical proficiency, even in very technical fields.   It's a common occurrence that college graduates become disenchanted at how well prepared they are in terms of traditional education metrics, yet how ill-prepared they are to succeed in terms of "softer" skills that are often greater determinants of success.


Business leaders clamor for young employees equipped with marketable abilities such as communication, teamwork and collaboration, creativity, poise and self-confidence, and branding and marketing skills. There's increasingly a lack of congruence between the allocation of time spent on these skills in the classroom relative to their importance in the 21st century.

That's where music education comes in.

The very well-intended accountability motives that have driven the demand for standardized testing have led us to a more narrow approach to education. These changes come in an era when the workforce is demanding more well-rounded, diversified individuals possessing artistic sensitivities, a concept expressed very articulately by authors such as Daniel Pink, Sir Ken Robinson, Ned Herrmann, and John Kao.

And music education is precisely the vehicle for addressing that learning gap, according to legions of musicians who have succeeded in the business world.

Confidence and Self-Esteem (Stepping Up to the Mic)


One of the most common benefits of music participation expressed by participants is the development of confidence and self-esteem. And consistently, musicians who enter the workforce speak of the positive effect that performing in front of an audience, mastering a
new musical piece, or simply connecting with other musicians in an ensemble had on building their ability to believe in themselves and perform under pressure.


"I never understood it [that fear] because I had already been on a stage in front of thousands of people, and it was no big deal. For me communication, presence, poise, and confidence are all things that any good business person has to have. You've got to get to the point where you can make a presentation in a small room or make a presentation at a big gathering. Those performance skills that a musician would learn really translate well."

Creativity & Innovation (Improvising From the Charts)

Most all research on the topic of creativity conveys some version of the following concept:
 
Creativity is like a muscle. Everyone has potential for creativity, but that creativity "muscle," either gets stronger with exercise or withers with inactivity.   It's the "use it or lose it" theory. Musicians enter the workplace with toned and fit "creativity muscles."

"One of the things that musicians and artists tend to do is explore other people's art and other people's way of doing things," says Dan Burrus, CEO & Founder of Burrus Research, Technology Forecaster, and Best-Selling Author of the book Technotrends.   Dan is also an accomplished lead guitarist.

"I think we're looking for inspiration. I think we look at a level that non-musicians don't.

Most non-musicians more easily stay in their rut.   Musicians tend to find ways out of
the rut, because that's what gives us joy - learning the new thing.

Branding and Marketing

"I would attribute 90% of my career to my background in music," says Greg Estes, Marketing Consultant - Media and Entertainment at NVIDIA. The successful Silicon Valley marketing executive attained regional success in the Bay Area in the mid-80s as a successful keyboard player and songwriter in the band Mystery Date. The marketing skills he attained as a
musician and the technical skills he mastered learning "midi" technology provided the ideal foundation for his chosen career.

"To this day, it [music] is the driving sense of self that I have. I still think of myself as a musician with a day job, not a Silicon Valley marketing executive."


Should you hire Keith Richards or Courtney Love as your company's next CEO? 

It's unfortunate that extreme examples like Richards and Love paint a stereotype that's not typical of the experience of the vast majority of people involved in music education.

The latter are musicians who are entering the workforce with a broader skill set, and a greater capacity to fill the needs of a changing marketplace.


About the Author:
Craig M. Cortello is the author of Everything We Needed to Know About Business, We Learned Playing Music. He is also a freelance music writer, having had the pleasure of interviewing such New Orleans music icons as Pete Fountain, Ellis Marsalis, Jr., Irvin Mayfield, and Henry Butler. Craig is a 30 year veteran of the guitar, a self-taught pianist, and a composer. In business, Craig serves as territory manager for S.M.I.L.E., Inc., a home technologies integration company, in New Orleans, La.

Published The Daily Riff February 2011