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It could simply be that growing up in an environment where being taught music is possible (with tutors and teachers and instruments all paid for) is correlated with doing better in school. If you're growing up with parents who struggle to pay the bills, who can't afford the time or money to teach their kids music, odds are those kids are struggling in other parts of their life too.

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Michael Jackson grew up dirt fucking poor. You don't need to be rich to play music.

You don't need to be rich or even middle class to play music, but you're much more likely to get a flute and lessons on how to play it if you've got parents who aren't dirt fucking poor and/or totally uninterested in your education. Thus there's obvious an association between music lessons and family background that needs controlling for.

As for MJ, he might not have been born rich, but nobody would say his musical accomplishments weren't linked to decisions his parents made for him.

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