Practice, Success and Teamwork Part 1 of 4

Practice, Success and Teamwork Part 1 of 4
Ragazzi Boys Chorus, Joyce Keil, Artistic Director

In the January 28 2002 issue of the New Yorker I discovered an interesting fact about learning and achievement. High achievers are not necessarily more talented; they practice more! In “The Learning Curve” by Atul Gawanda there was a discussion of the learning curve even as it applies to surgeons. The surgeon must practice just like everyone else (but the frightening truth is that he practices on people where the risk is human life)! As Gawande honestly and disturbingly describes his early attempts at surgery, he discusses the value of practice. He quotes K. Anders Ericsson, a cognitive psychologist, who is one of the many who have studied the difference between elite and mediocre performers in all professions. The difference for the high performers is the amount of deliberate practice the performer has accumulated. He also found that top performers dislike practice as much as others, but they have the will to keep at it.

I was heartened by this news. On those days in 2002 as I faced endless rainy days knowing that I had to put in hours drilling Russian for our Russian concert, I remembered that it was OK that I wasn’t delighted with this task. As adults we know why we practice. We can anticipate the triumph of our labor and taste its fruits in anticipation. Children do not know about the pay-off of hard work and even if they do know, they often forget in the heat of the moment when distracted by more immediate temptations.

I encourage all of us to remember that it is the will to achieve which drives us and to remember to look for the joy that achievement yields. Ragazzi Premiere, Full Concert Chorus and Young Men’s Ensemble felt this exhilaration in 2002 and they feel it after every concert now where they have struggled and succeeded. All of our young singers will feel this again this year as they present concerts of music which has challenged them.

How do we achieve that thrill? We practice! And sometimes (often) practice is fun!! See the recent post on How to Practice for ideas. Watch this blog for more on learning and achievement.