Growing up in America, we’re often handed two major avenues to channel our passion and talent—music or sports. For some, the path to the stadium lights is paved with cheers, team jerseys, and Friday night games. For others, it’s dimly lit practice rooms, sheet music, endless scales, and the thrill of live performance. I’ve walked the music path my entire life, and I can tell you from experience—being in music isn’t just an alternative to sports. In many ways, it’s better. And here’s why.
Music Is for Life
Let’s start with longevity. Most athletes peak in their 20s or 30s—if they’re lucky. Injuries, burnout, or just the limits of the human body can end a sports career quickly. But music? Music grows with you. Your voice matures. Your hands get more seasoned. Your interpretations deepen. I’m in my 40s, and my best performances are still ahead of me. Music isn’t just a young person’s game. It’s a lifelong companion.
No Bench in Music
In sports, unless you're a star player, you're often waiting your turn—on the bench, in the dugout, or watching from the sidelines. But in music, everyone plays. Everyone contributes. Whether you're in the spotlight or holding down a harmony in the background, your role is essential. There is no second-string in a symphony. No benchwarmers in a jazz band. Everyone has a voice, and every voice matters.
Music Builds the Whole Person
Music is more than notes and rhythms—it’s discipline, patience, empathy, communication, and self-awareness. It teaches you how to listen as much as how to express. It connects you to history, culture, and humanity in ways that sports simply can’t. Sure, sports build teamwork and drive, but music builds the soul.
It also sharpens the brain. Study after study shows that musicians often excel in math, reading comprehension, and critical thinking. Playing an instrument literally changes your brain, creating new pathways and improving memory. It’s like a workout, not just for your fingers or lungs, but for your entire mind.
Emotional Connection
Sports evoke passion, no doubt. But music moves people. It heals. It brings tears to the eyes of strangers in a concert hall. It brings people of all backgrounds together in a moment of shared beauty. I’ve played for people in moments of celebration and moments of mourning. Music is there for weddings, graduations, funerals, holidays—it’s the emotional glue of our lives.
There’s something uniquely human about creating sound from silence. You can’t fake authenticity in music. When it’s real, it’s real—and it resonates deeper than any touchdown or home run.
Universality and Accessibility
Another truth: Not everyone can throw a 90-mile-per-hour fastball or run a 4.4 forty-yard dash. But everyone can make music. Everyone. Whether it's tapping on a table, humming a tune, singing in the shower, or learning an instrument—music is for the people.
You don’t need to be in a league or on a team. You don’t need the right body type or a scholarship. Music meets you wherever you are. And it stays with you, no matter your age, size, ability, or circumstance.
Collaboration Without Competition
One of the most beautiful aspects of music is the collaboration. Sure, there are competitions, but at its core, music is about creating together. In a band, an orchestra, a choir—success isn’t about outshining someone. It’s about blending, listening, adapting. It’s about harmony, not hierarchy.
While sports can foster rivalries, music fosters relationships. And those connections last long after the last note is played.
Legacy and Impact
Athletes are celebrated in their prime. But musical legacies often grow over time. Think of Beethoven, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin—legends whose influence only expanded after their time. Music leaves something eternal behind. A song you write or perform today can inspire someone a hundred years from now. That’s the kind of legacy I strive for.
As a pianist, composer, arranger, and producer, I’ve seen music change lives—not just mine, but the lives of students, audiences, and collaborators. I’ve played in big venues and small rooms, taught beginners and played alongside pros, and I’ve watched people feel something real because of music.
That’s impact. That’s power. And that’s why, to me, music is not only better than sports—it’s one of the most powerful forces we have as human beings.
Final Thoughts
I’m not here to knock sports. There’s beauty, camaraderie, and growth there too. But if you’re a young person—or even an adult—wondering which road to walk, let me leave you with this:
Music will never let you sit the game out. It’ll never tell you you’re too old. It’ll never bench you, cut you, or tell you you’re not fast enough. Music will challenge you, stretch you, comfort you, and call you back again and again.
So pick up that guitar. Sit down at that piano. Dust off that violin. Sing like no one’s listening—or even better, sing because they are.
You’re not just making music. You’re making magic.
Add comment
Comments