Chapter 5
There was a study done by Gary McPherson that looked at students' success in music lessons. Some students progressed exceptionally in a short amount of time while others seemed to hardly have progressed at all. Accounting for income levels, IQ, math skills and to some extent practice, the link to their success was still undetermined. When McPherson looked at the students' long term commitment to play their instrument he found the key. Those that were highly committed to play for a long time did much better than short term commitment students even when those students practiced longer. Students that were committed to progressing and becoming great at their instrument practiced deeper so they progressed faster.
Being highly motivated is a hard road. It required persistence and the ability to be able to wait. Talent hotbeds don’t turn up overnight. They require time and effort, deep practice as well as ignition.
I really loved this section because I feel like I do have that commitment. I really love singing and this is something that I will and want to do forever. I’ve definitely had challenging times where I wanted to quit but just knew deep down that I could never let myself do that. I feel like it has also helped me practice better because I know what I want and I am set on getting it. I think the portion I need to work on is the patience portion. I know I’m not going to become amazing overnight so I need to accept that. I also feel like as a vocalist I need to accept that every day my instrument is different and sometimes I’m tired or dehydrated and I need to be kinder to myself whereas for other skills you basically always have the same thing to work with. Measuring progress overtime is much more important for singers.
Automaticity: when a skill or response becomes automatic
Ignition: Is the spark or the passion that drives persistent effort to work towards a goal (can be either an unconscious or a conscious effort to improve)
Chapter 6
In Chapter 6 Coyle recounts the extraordinary success story of a small island called Curacao. Curacao, like most talent hotbeds, didn’t have a ton of resources or time to practice. But one Curacao player, Jones, hit 2 baseballs in a Yankee stadium and wowed the stadium. Curacao people started signing up for baseball, excited to become part of something great like their talented player. Over a few years, Curacao gained more and more wins and more prestige. These new baseball players became passionate and invigorated by the success of Jones but the constant support from the community and sense of national pride, as well as a passion for the game kept them going.
Ignition isn’t based on a single event. There are many examples of someone becoming amazing from an obscure group or place-and then nothing else ever comes of it. It was a single occurrence, a bit of luck or talent from somewhere unexpected and never becomes more. Coyle says that in order to keep a talent hotbeds spark lit, the flames need to get fanned. Consistent cues and social signals fuel the fire and create talent hotbeds.
I need to remember this for my own life. Everyone has hard times and times they feel like giving up but having that persistent passion can (and does) keep me going. Ways that I can refresh that passion is by listening to singers that inspire me (something I rarely have time to do). Also as a teacher I need to remember that what I say and how I say things matter. There was a study done where effort or intelligence was praised and those that were praised with effort were more outgoing and less scared of mistakes. Mistakes happen in singing all the time and voice students shouldn’t be scared of making them. The fear of making mistakes will probably hold them back and create tension.
Phenomenon: a rare or amazing occurrence or person
Chapter 7
In this chapter, Coyle talks about how to ignite a talent hotbed when there isn’t an exceptional role model example who has already broken through and made it to the top. In this example, 2 friends created a school that would help low income kids and kids that didn’t have much opportunity to get to college. At first no one really thought it would work, but they were very invested in helping these students create a successful environment for themselves and get to college. In their school, they focused on creating a good working environment and treating everyone with kindness. They emphasized teamwork and the fact that KIPP (the name of the school standing for Knowledge is Power Program) believed in them and that it was their goal to get everyone in the school to college. Little by little, these students were invigorated and believed they could do hard things. The culture and passion in this school rubbed off and these students created goals for themselves. Coyle says that every time these students imagined themselves going to college, myelin formed and reinforced that pathway making it more likely for them to have the passion and desire to work hard enough to make it happen.
I think this is really important because the whole time I was reading chapters 5 and 6 I was thinking, “But what if there isn’t a breakthrough talent for someone to look up too? What then?” This chapter showed me that you can be your own inspiration and find the passion, and persistence to. It also reinforced the idea that speaking kindly to yourself and reminding yourself of your goals is really important.
Jalopy: old car in bad condition
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