Over the past few weeks, the country has been abuzz discussing Kwasi Enin: the brilliant student who was accepted to all 8 Ivy League colleges.

How did he achieve this incredible feat? Many are citing his impressive academic achievements, including a top SAT score and completion of numerous AP classes. Other cite his outreach efforts at local hospitals. 

But Enin himself, as reported by the New York Times, states in the essay accompanying each of his college applications that while medicine is his intended career path, it has been MUSIC that created his inner drive to learn:

"Music has become the spark of my intellectual curiosity. I directly developed my capacity to think creatively around problems due to the infinite possibilities in music. There are millions of combinations of key signatures, chords, melodies, and rhythms ... As I began to explore a minute fraction of these combinations from the third grade onwards, my mind began to formulate roundabout methods to solve any mathematical problem, address any literature prompt, and discover any exit in an undesirable situation. ... Lastly, music has become the educator that has taught me the importance of leadership, teamwork and friendship."

Here is yet another example of how an education incorporating the arts benefits students and help them develop skills crucial to succeeding in other realms and avenues of education. Music isn't the only thing that helped Enin get into 8 Ivy Leagues, but it clearly helped all throughout his journey and inspired him to do more. 

Check out the original article here on NPR's classical music blog, Deceptive Cadence and read Enin's essay here on Business Insider here.