Hi,
Wish I had learned how to read the notes and translate them automatically into ... whatever ... instead, I close my eyes, and match/mix what I hear ... and even a teacher said that I had a really good ear for music, and should study it more ... I kinda like my free form ... it has a child feel to it that is neat and cool ... although hardly useful within a professional environment, but the learning, about listening and such, was something that I "translated" and used in the acting world with many folks ... it's a parallel that I think is in all arts in some form or another.