talk-data.com

Learning a new programming language can feel overwhelming—so can learning to play a musical instrument. Around the same time I picked up Scala at work, I picked up a pair of drumsticks at home. I didn’t expect these experiences to have anything in common, but I was wrong. In both, I struggled to unlearn old habits, to think in new patterns, and to find rhythm—literal and metaphorical. This talk is a reflection on that dual learning curve. Along the way, I’ll walk through how functional programming in Scala shares some surprising traits with drumming: recursion and rhythm, muscle memory and syntax, constraints as creative tools. I’ll also talk about the differences—where programming relies on precision, music often embraces feel—and how navigating both worlds helped me become more intentional in how I learn anything new. This is not a talk about mastering Scala or music theory. It’s a talk about being a beginner, being frustrated, making progress, and discovering unexpected joy in the process. I hope to share relatable stories, visual and mental metaphors for programming concepts, and reflections that apply whether you’re learning Scala, drums, or just trying to get better at getting better.