Practice, Success and Teamwork Part 3 of 4

Can practice trump talent?

In the December 17 2001 New Yorker, there was an article about the SAT test and how it is being reconsidered as an indicator of success for college admissions. Malcolm Gladwell, in that article, referred to studies produced by Stanley Kaplan which found that the test results were coachable and therefore not a measure of true “raw” ability. To back up this opinion, the author cited another study done on music talent by John Sloboda. Looking at 256 music students between the ages of 10-16 drawn from a variety of schools, they found that the best predictor of success was the number of hours practiced. Amazingly, the successful students practiced an average of 800% more than the kids on the bottom of the scale.

The other factor for success was the degree of parent investment in the student’s success. Rather than dropping a student off at the music school, these parents went into the practice room and then reviewed the procedures at home. This corroborates the study cited last week about the successful team of surgeons. The achievers reviewed and sought to problem-solve after every effort. What was not important was the prestige of the school that the student went to.

The author concludes that ability cannot be separated from effort. So thanks parents for your interest in your boys and keep practicing.