Like you, I hated it at school because it had no relevance to anything and I dropped music as soon as possible. Then, when I started learning guitar (while still at school) I realised that the two subjects were connected and from then on I became fascinated by it - and enjoyed learning it by myself and applying it to guitar. It helped me understand all about constructing chords, improvising, composing, arranging.
Later, I studied music on a more professional basis via music colleges etc. The trick is to keep it relevant. That way it will always be interesting and useful.
And while we're on the the subject of cadences, I forgot to mention that knowing about them (at least the sound of them) is also really helpful in working out the key of a song and its chords.
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