Ray Dretske,
President and CEO
rSchoolToday.com
My involvement in music throughout my K-12 and college years was invaluable in shaping who I am as a person today as well as providing the foundation for my success in the business world. Besides being great fun, it provided an immediate opening to a wonderful circle of friends, many of whom were among the top achievers in the school. More than any other school activity, it also showed me the power and value of working together towards a common goal. I love sports too, but while a sports team can win a game, a band or choir can create a lasting artistic expression that can transcend words, and can really move people, long beyond the initial performance.
Music also gave me great confidence in myself. If I worked hard, I immediately saw the benefits with increased ability and in turn, increased success. I gained the certainty that I could master anything I set my mind to. It taught me discipline and the value of hard work. The kids involved with music were among the busiest and most driven in the school, and it’s well known in the business world that if you *really* want to get something done, ask a busy person to do it!
More than anything, music instilled in me a strong desire to be involved with things in life that possessed a higher aesthetic value. I took that right into the business world when starting our software company, creating web applications for K-12 schools. I chose to make our company one with big goals and one that valued creativity and beauty, coupled with common sense, focus, and hard work, and this has paid off in the growing success of the company. Every day in our world is a wild mix of creativity, problem-solving, elegance and simplicity in design, technical challenges, thinking on your feet, adapting to change, presenting to groups, communication, networking, and team-building. The study of music has helped me on every one of these fronts, and all while I just thought I was having fun and making music.
I am very thankful to have attended schools that understood these benefits and provided a strong music program, despite the constant pressures to cut costs. I don’t remember who originally said this, but it’s stuck with me for over 20 years. I will loosely quote it here…”It’s said that the ancient Greeks studied just 3 subjects; Math, so they could learn how the world worked. History, so they could avoid the mistakes of the past. And Music…so they would have a reason to study the other 2.”