Musical Talent and Surgical Skills: Does Playing an Instrument Help With Surgical Ability?

To review the existing literature examining whether playing musical instruments influences surgical aptitude, considering shared motor and cognitive demands in both activities.

Narrative review of published studies evaluating the association between musical experience and surgical performance.

PubMed was searched for English-language studies from its inception to February 2025. Abstracts and reviews were excluded; eligible studies included assessments of surgical skills across specialties.

We analyzed 23 studies published from January 2005 to November 2024 involving 1641 individuals. Of these, 1203 were medical students and interns and 438 were residents, fellows, and attending physicians.

Eleven studies (47.8%) found a statistically significant positive association between playing musical instruments and surgical aptitude. One study showed a positive but nonsignificant association and 11 (47.8%) reported no association. Fifteen studies (65.2%) used laparoscopic simulators, while others assessed robotic systems or suturing tasks. Advantages linked to musical training included improved dexterity, precision, and task efficiency. However, results were inconsistent across studies, partly due to heterogeneous definitions of musical experience, variable assessment tools, reliance on self-reported histories, and predominance of simulation-based evaluations.

Evidence on the impact of musical experience on surgical performance remains inconclusive. While nearly half of reviewed studies suggest potential benefits, methodologic limitations restrict generalizability to real surgical settings. Musical training may contribute to the development of fine motor and visuospatial skills relevant to surgery, but it should not be considered a stand-alone predictor of aptitude. Future research using standardized definitions, objective assessments, and randomized controlled designs is needed to clarify whether musical experience meaningfully enhances surgical proficiency.