Sports and music are often viewed as parallel opposites in the media.
An athlete is emotionally and physically tough. Athletes practice relentlessly to perform to the best of their abilities.
A musician is imaginative and open to expressing their feelings through art. Musicians practice relentlessly to perform to the best of their abilities.
Putting aside the dumb jock and flaky guitarist stereotypes easily depicted in movies, the core of what makes a great musician or athlete is actually the same. Self-confidence, hard work, and focus are the characteristics that bind different performers together, whether they be on the stage of a concert venue or a football field.
Though it can be difficult to manage playing both music and sports due to the time consuming nature of each, these activities relate to one another on a variety of levels. A young athlete taking music lessons will see their physical skills in both activities benefit from dual involvement.
Vincent Musco has owned and taught lessons at Westwood Music Studios, a music school for students of all ages in Westwood, New Jersey, since 1993. Musco said of his experience teaching music to athletes at the studio, “Playing an instrument is a physical activity. I’ve always found kids involved in sports progress more quickly, as they are more coordinated and in-tune with their bodies.”
Medical research has found the same to be true. The University of Rochester Medical Center reported that participation in both music and sports positively affects children by improving various physical and mental skills. Physical coordination and timing are enhanced through each activity. For example, playing the drums can help with coordination because the hands, arms, and feet have to work simultaneously. The same increase in physical abilities can assist a new musician who has experience playing sports. The skills are transferrable.
Looking back at the 2012 London Olympics, an article in the Toronto Star noted that of the 227 athletes from Canada, 19 of them studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. James Anagnoson, Dean of the renowned Glenn Gould School at the conservatory said, “It’s really fascinating to see how athletes and musicians perform. The physical skill and stamina needed, the hours of practice, the dexterity and level of technicality required to perform at a high level are all key.”
Participation in music and sports also teaches more mental aspects, such as discipline and the ability to focus on a goal. Research from the University of Rochester Medical Center has concluded that playing an instrument can improve spatial intelligence as well.
Spatial intelligence is the brain’s ability to visualize objects from different angles and space. This is particularly important when solving spatial problems of navigation or recognizing fine details.
Just as playing an instrument improves spatial intelligence; spatial intelligence also improves the play of athletes. Sometimes referred to as “situational awareness” in the sports realm, spatial intelligence benefits athletes by making them more aware of their surroundings, knowing where they are on the playing field, and anticipating the next play or move of their opponent.
In an article from USA Hockey, former USA Hockey National Coach Mike MacMillan incorporated situational awareness into drills and said, “I think it’s very important for defensemen, if they want to be successful – and all players – to be able to see almost two car lengths ahead. You have a visual awareness, a spatial awareness of your surroundings so that when the puck gets to you, you can make a play.”
Athletes can benefit immensely from practicing music, as another study referenced by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that students who took music lessons for a year increased their IQ scores by 2.5 points compared to children who did not take music lessons. It has been suggested that this raise in IQ is due to the memorization and concentration skills required to learn music.
On the reverse, playing sports can improve a different type of intelligence that can assist musicians in their own endeavors. Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine concluded that physical activity benefits cognition and brain health. The study found that certain hormones that are increased during exercise can actually enhance memory. This improvement in memory through physical activity can aid musicians who rely on memorization to perform certain, intricate pieces.
Surprising cases of professional athletes often personify how the worlds of music and sports come together, and how their skills from each do relate. Justin Tucker, a football placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens, is a prime example in an article from ESPN.
Tucker grew up in Austin, Texas as an exceptional athlete, who also had a passion for singing. Even as Tucker pursued football at the University of Texas, he still majored in recording technology and studied under professor and acclaimed opera singer, Nikita Storojev.
Tucker learned how to sing in seven different languages, and has been asked to perform at both the prestigious Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the New York Opera.
As of 2017, Pro-Football Reference listed Tucker as having the second highest field goal accuracy (89.372%) of any kicker in NFL history.
“It takes a level of technicality to kick a football, and the same is true of music,” said Tucker. “There is a composure that’s required and a confidence that comes with preparation.”
Music’s integration into sporting events is another component of the relationship between the two that is impossible to ignore. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, sports teams all over the nation began to experiment with playing music during the pauses of a game.
Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” became the New York Yankee’s unofficial anthem in 1980, and has been played at the conclusion of every home game since.
“Black and Yellow,” by rapper Wiz Khalifa, has become a fighting song for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who sport those same colors.
Super Bowl halftime shows have become a main event in their own right, with performances from iconic bands and pop stars further broadening nationwide interest in the already enormous broadcast.
Music has the ability to unite, excite, and inspire fans under a team and culture they can relate to.
A study from the Health and Sciences Academy revealed that listening to music during activity can also improve an athlete’s physical performance, as dissociation through music diverts the mind from fatigue and promotes a flow state for internal motivation and synchronized movement.
Music and sports are inextricably linked – in more ways than one.
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