Translated into the language of business, a prospective employee may describe the benefits of their music education thusly:

• Creative and comfortable with themselves
• Performs well under pressure
• Self-disciplined, self-starter, takes personal initiative
• Good planning and project management skills
• Leadership skills
• Teamwork skills

Transferable Skills

Producing performances based on planned growth (time to learn the music) makes musicians good project managers, able to plan ahead toward individual or group goals. Musicians come to understand that it is only through working effectively with others (accompanists, conductors and or other performers) that a performance will be successful.

Middle school and high school students who participated in instrumental music scored significantly higher than their non-band peers on standardized tests. University studies conducted in Georgia and Texas found significant correlations between the number of years of instrumental music instruction and academic achievement in math, science and language arts.
Source: University of Sarasota Study, Jeffrey Lynn Kluball; East Texas State University Study, Daryl Erick Trent

Creativity in the Workforce

The arts develop a globally competitive workforce. As more analytical and technical jobs are being outsourced to other countries, it is important to develop creativity in children to keep them on the cutting edge of innovation