Music of Poetry

I like both poetry and prose, and many novelists also write poetry. But I know that's not universal among writers.
During creative writing class this semester, my teacher mentioned a link between poetry and prose, which I think is worth talking about.

If you write mostly prose, you obviously want your writing to sound nice. If it flows nicely, it can be more enjoyable to read.
Poetry has a musical quality to it. Learning this can help make your prose more musical too. It helps you find the rhythm of words. You learn about what the word sounds like - if it's soothing to say, or more jarring. It helps fit the tone you want.

Writers are also told to "cut it down." Get rid of any excess words, phrases, or scenes. When you see deleted scenes in a movie, and usually you can tell why they were deleted. The movie was more streamlined without them.
Poetry helps you tighten up the language. You can fit an image or idea into a couple lines, or a couple words, in the course of a poem.
And since each word has a different feeling to it, even if it means something similar, you learn to pick a word that's perfect for the image and tone in your head.