What You Didn't Know About Koko's Musical Skills

Barbara J. King of NPR wrote that Koko's ability to learn how to control her breath enough to be able to play wind instruments showed that skills we think of as being innate are often learned. Therefore, living beings' abilities to learn via "ever-varied physical and mental challenges that may 'grow' our skills" areactually much

Barbara J. King of NPR wrote that Koko's ability to learn how to control her breath enough to be able to play wind instruments showed that skills we think of as being innate are often learned. Therefore, living beings' abilities to learn via "ever-varied physical and mental challenges that may 'grow' our skills" are actually much richer than we might think. Koko also showed interest in music throughout her life, which might have been a positive influence when it came to learning how to play recorders, harmonicas, and whistles. There are also videos available of Koko playing on keyboards, and in 2016, as reported by the AV Club, Koko met Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who The Gorilla Foundation called "one of [Koko's] favorite musicians." Flea showed Koko his bass, and she responded by taking the instrument into her own hands and plucking the strings, as shown on this YouTube video. Flea called the jam session "the greatest thing that ever happened," and The Gorilla Foundation joked about "future collaborations" between the two. Koko died of natural causes in 2018 at the age of 46.

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