“.... affirm that piano is the foundation for good musical understanding and mastery.”
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That’s what I had always understood, and thus one of my life goals is to learn to play keyboards first, and if I live long enough, God willing, other instruments.
I can’t remember the specific reasons why the piano is considered so instructive in understanding music, but it is nice to see that concept affirmed.
I think a big part is that a piano is laid out in a perfect row of keys. It maps one-to-one with the musical staff in a way that’s very easy to see. This is different from say a guitar or violin where you can play the same note in different places on the neck on different strings, or from a horn where the pattern of keys that you press doesn’t always relate in an obvious way to the pitch of the note. A piano has a very literal and non-idiosyncratic “user interface”, which makes it easier for learning musical concepts on, especially early on.
Sorry for late reply. I do hope you do dip your toe into the learn to play music! Keyboard is great, but if there is another instrument that “sings” to you, then learn that one first!
I think why piano is helpful is because you can learn the range of the whole grand staff (the bass and treble cleffs) on which an entire musical score takes place. If you are playing the flute, you usually have an accompanist who often is a pianist, who supplies the “orchestra” with the piano. It helps with having the “big picture.”