If you’re a fan of modern chamber and/or orchestral music, you probably know the name Ernst Bacon. The prolific composer wrote more than 250 pieces throughout his career, which spanned much of the 20th century. What you may not know about Ernst is that he was the father of BWBacon’s founder, Dave Bacon!
If it surprises you that Dave immersed himself in the world of technology rather than the world of music, considering his father’s influence, it shouldn’t. Music and technology are truly interconnected disciplines. Whether it’s through performance when working with a development team or by playing with a band, or being innovative when creating new code or improvising on stage, there is a certain science to the process. There is also the importance of theory, whether it’s through algorithms and or with scales and octaves. Relationships in both disciplines are key, and both good coders and good musicians most certainly need to have an understanding of basic and complex rules.
For example, consider that an orchestra can have anywhere from 50 to 100 musicians across a variety of instrument types, such as strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion. Writing polyrhythmic and/or polyphonic musical lines across all the instruments in an orchestra requires the ability to see the big picture while simultaneously working on a micro level. Developers and designers need this skill too, where in building software or complex web applications one needs to architect for scale, balance elements like functionality, usability, or integration, all while considering the user experience, which is not so different from a musician’s need to consider her audience’s enjoyment.
A recent article on BusinessInsider.com quotes the results of a study, published in the online journal PLoS One, that looked at the mental fortitude of musicians compared to non-musicians. “Children and adults with extensive musical training show enhanced performance on a number of executive-function constructs compared to non-musicians, especially for cognitive flexibility, working memory, and processing speed.” Since those skills are equally important for programmers and designers alike, it should come as no surprise that BWBacon has noticed a trend in the tech recruits we’ve placed: many of them are also musicians. It’s likely that Denver’s ongoing ascent in the ranks of major technology cities in the United States could be contributing to the enhancement of its local music scene and as music lovers ourselves, that’s absolutely a win-win!
So if you’re a musician or music lover as well as a technical guru, Colorado could be the state for you. After all, Denver has both a vibrant music scene with a wide variety of venues (check out our top 5) and a growing technology sector. Get in touch with us if you’d like help finding a job in the Mile High City.
