Everybody, no matter what vocation they're looking at, should

The master of harmony, Quincy Jones, once spoke these words of eternal wisdom: “Everybody, no matter what vocation they're looking at, should add music as an essential to their curriculum. Music can be a very important part of your soul and your growth as a human being. It's so powerful.” These words are not mere advice for musicians—they are a call to all of humankind, a reminder that music is not a luxury, but a necessity. It is a language older than words, a medicine deeper than reason, and a teacher wiser than books.

To say that music is essential is to declare that it belongs not at the margins of life, but at its very center. The ancients believed this truth: Pythagoras taught that the movement of the stars themselves created a harmony known as the “music of the spheres.” To them, learning was not complete unless it included rhythm, melody, and song, for they knew that the soul cannot grow by numbers and logic alone. So too does Quincy Jones affirm that whether one walks the path of science, trade, art, or rule, music is the hidden nourishment that strengthens the inner being.

For what is music but the mirror of the soul? It carries our grief, it exalts our joy, it steadies our courage, and it softens our anger. Through music, a child learns not only discipline and patience, but also empathy and imagination. And as the child becomes an adult, music continues to whisper to the deepest places of the heart, reminding us of our humanity when the world would turn us into mere machines. To neglect music is to neglect part of oneself; to embrace it is to awaken hidden chambers of the spirit.

History offers us many examples of this truth. Consider the story of Albert Einstein, the great mind who unlocked the secrets of the universe. In times of struggle, when numbers and theories exhausted him, he would take up his violin and play. He confessed that music gave him clarity, that it renewed his spirit and sharpened his thought. Without music, he said, his life would be “unimaginable.” Here, the greatest scientist of his age bore witness to the power Jones speaks of: that music does not only serve the musician—it serves all who would grow as human beings.

So too in times of war and sorrow has music uplifted nations. When slaves in bondage sang their spirituals, they found hope amid despair. When soldiers marched to the beat of drums, their fear was turned to resolve. When humanity faced its darkest hours, music reminded them they were still human. This is why Quincy Jones calls it powerful—because music has the strength to transform, to heal, to unify, and to inspire when all else falters.

The lesson, then, is this: let music be part of your learning, no matter your path. Whether you seek to be a builder of cities, a healer of bodies, a thinker of laws, or a maker of machines, do not forget to also be a singer of songs. Learn to play, to listen, to feel. For music will teach you lessons no textbook can: how to endure, how to hope, how to connect with the hearts of others.

So take this counsel into your days. Begin your morning with a melody to awaken the spirit. When you are weary, let music carry you forward. When you are lost, let it remind you of who you are. And if you can, learn an instrument or raise your voice in song—not for fame, but for the nourishment of your own soul. For as Quincy Jones reminds us, music is powerful, and to walk without it is to walk only half alive.

Thus remember: the curriculum of life is not complete without music. It is the hidden teacher, the healer, and the companion of every soul. Embrace it, and you will grow not only in knowledge, but in humanity, becoming not just a worker of tasks, but a singer in the great choir of existence.