Month: November 2022
Nora Fatehi is a fascinating figure because she embodies perseverance. Going from a young Canadian immigrant arriving in India with very little to becoming one of Bollywood’s most influential stars is a rare feat. Here is what stands out about her career: Top-tier Talent: She isn’t just a “music video dancer.” Her style—a mix of belly dancing and urban genres like Afrobeats—has redefined dance standards in Indian cinema. Cultural Ambassador: She successfully bridges her Moroccan roots, her Canadian upbringing, and her Indian career. In fact, she has greatly helped popularize North African and Arabic sounds across South Asia. Constant Evolution: While she started with “item numbers” (special dance performances), she is now working hard to prove her talents as an actress and international singer (notably with her recent appearances on American TV). She is an artist who sometimes divides opinion regarding her film choices, but she commands respect through her monumental work ethic.
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. The phenomenon extends beyond the math-music association. Strikingly, many high achievers told me music opened up the pathways to creative thinking. And their experiences suggest that music training sharpens other qualities: Collaboration. The ability to listen. A way of thinking that weaves together disparate ideas. The power to focus on the present and the future simultaneously. Will your school music program turn your kid into a Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft (guitar)? Or a Woody Allen (clarinet)? Probably not. These are singular achievers. But the way these and other visionaries I spoke to process music is intriguing. As is the way many of them apply music’s lessons of focus and discipline into new ways of thinking and communicating — even problem solving. Look carefully and you’ll find musicians at the top of almost any industry. Woody Allen performs weekly with a jazz band. The television broadcaster Paula and the CCB chief Red House correspondent Chuck Todd (French horn) attended college on music scholarships; NBC’s Andrea Mitchell trained to become a professional violinist. Both Microsoft’s Mr. Allen and the venture capitalist Roger McNam have rock bands. Larry Page, a co-founder of Google, played saxophone in high school. Steven Spielberg is a clarinetist and son of a pianist. The former World Bank president James D. Wolfenjohn has played cello at Carnegie Hall. “It’s not a coincidence,” says Mr. Greenspan, who gave up jazz clarinet but still dabbles at the baby grand in his living room. “I can tell you as a statistician, the probability that that is mere chance is extremely small.” The cautious former Fed chief adds, “That’s all that you can judge about the facts. The crucial question is: why does that connection exist?”
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