Kraus

Kraus says it appears the musically-trained individuals had developed auditory skills apart from just being able to hear quieter sounds.

Kraus led a study involving 18 musicians and 19 non-musicians, between the ages of 45 and 65, that tested their ability to discern speech from background noise. Researchers also tested how well they remembered what they heard and what they saw, and how quickly they understood what they heard, all important skills for playing an instrument.