NY Times asks: Is Music Key to Success?

A recent opinion piece in the New York Times questions the impact of intensive musical training on a number of high achieving individuals in an array of industries.  Author Joanne Lipman writes:

Condoleezza Rice trained to be a concert pianist. Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, was a professional clarinet and saxophone player. The hedge fund billionaire Bruce Kovner is a pianist who took classes at Juilliard.

Multiple studies link music study to academic achievement. But what is it about serious music training that seems to correlate with outsize success in other fields?

The connection isn’t a coincidence. I know because I asked. I put the question to top-flight professionals in industries from tech to finance to media, all of whom had serious (if often little-known) past lives as musicians. Almost all made a connection between their music training and their professional achievements.

What qualities in your classes do you think are most likely to prepare your students for future success? Share your thoughts via the comment box below.

Read the entire Times column here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/opinion/sunday/is-music-the-key-to-success.html