The Value of Studying the Arts in School and Beyond
Parents of music students, I know you’re nervous.
You want your child to get a college degree that will be worth the money and will land them a job after they graduate. And a music degree… may not be what you envisioned bringing them unbridled success in life.
With hard work, perseverance, dedication, a lot of practice, and strong professional networks, your music student can have the successful and meaningful career they want in music. The professional music world is constantly changing to reflect our current society and cultures. There is so much room to innovate and be creative while also earning a good living.
A music degree is valuable even outside the musical world! We’ve seen trends with businesses that hire brand new grads with a music background are extremely successful because of their highly transferable skill sets they develop while studying music.
Transferrable Skill Sets
We often refer to these as “soft” skills. Here are some skill sets that your music student might have already:
Strong collaborative skills (how many hours does your student spend in large ensemble rehearsals, chamber groups, or performing with others?)
Self-discipline (does your child spend a lot of time practicing on their own, listening carefully to their mistakes and fixing them?)
Creative mindset (music is MEANT for new interpretation and new ways of presentation. Musicians constantly think outside the box.)
Ability to take and give constructive criticism (musicians do not learn in a vacuum; they are constantly learning from more experienced teachers and peers to get better at honing their craft.)
Strong presentation skills (this one takes practice! Musicians are used to performing for an audience, and therefore are great presenters and speakers.)
Not only are these skills highly marketable to many industries, they help students navigate life as a young adult and beyond.
Resilience through the Arts
The arts also help us push through tough times in our lives, providing an outlet to help make sense of the world. Studies show that learning music helps to calm the “fight or flight” instinct during stressful situations, and allows people to focus on a single activity for a little while. Music therapy is an ever-popular field where music and the arts are used to address stress and develop coping mechanisms after a person experiences trauma. It is a form of self-expression that releases endorphins (the “feel good” chemicals in the brain).
Music also helps to build and bring together communities. Everyone has their own taste in music, but think about the songs that everyone knows. You might know the fight song for your favorite sports team, and get especially pumped up when thousands of people are singing that song in a stadium. Nursery rhymes and songs are taught to children from birth. We sing the same set of songs every year around the Christmas holidays. How boring would our trips to the grocery store be without the music played over the PA system? And in other cultures, songs are used to communicate long distances, celebrate births, deaths, weddings, and more. They are passed from generation to generation as a way to convey our stories and history. We are literally hard-wired for music and the arts!
Unfortunately, we as a culture (at least in the United States) have set aside the arts as something that’s not as valuable as core academic subjects, favoring productivity over creative expression. We thought we’d be happier as a society, but the truth is, we’re not. Music teaches empathy, expression, movement, mental flexibility, and more. If we had more music in our lives, we might see a reduction in mental health issues, community violence, stronger bonds among peers, and the ability to listen.
Before thinking that you can’t get a job or have a fulfilling life with a music degree or by studying music in college, take a close look at how music is woven into your own life. Somebody made all that music, and the musicians of the future will continue the tradition of bringing creative expression to our communities. I’d say that’s pretty invaluable!
More Resources
If you’d like to read more about the arts, how it affects your brain, and the skills you develop as a musician, I recommend checking out these sources:
This is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel J. Levitin.
Building a Better Brain through Music, Dance, and Poetry, by Jon Hamilton for NPR
How Music Bonds Us Together, by Jill Suttie for The Greater Good Magazine
Does creative coursework predict educational, career, and community engagement outcomes for arts alumni?, by Angie L. Miller for snaaparts.org
Not working with me yet? Feeling stressed by the college search? Let’s chat.
By Kate Bittner, Founder and Consultant of Legato College Consulting
