Patrice-Coyle-Intro-Ch2

Introduction

Summary

Honestly, the introduction got me really intrigued. I loved the example of Clarissa, sharing both deep practice and "wasting time" as McPhearson described. This introduction instilled a new sense of dedication and commitment to my practicing and efforts in all skills I am striving to develop.

Application

The biggest take away for me it to be aware of my practice routines. When am I in deep practice? When am I wasting time? I think awareness is the first step before I can make any changes.

Chapter 1

Summary

The biggest takeaway for me in chapter 1 was embrace your mistakes. Thrive in the struggle. Strive for failure. Without these goals we won't improve or grow. Progress cannot and will not come without opposition. I also really liked the story of Edwin Link. My takeaways from it were one- be open to new and different ways of learning, even if is unconventional, and two- allow a setting for deep practice, both physically and mentally.

Application

I would like to apply this by making note of my mistakes. As I practice I want to not only be mentally aware of my mistakes, but to write them down which will bring a stronger consciousness to the mistake.  Growth cannot happen without failure and I want to apply that in my practices.

Chapter 2

Summary

Understanding myelin and the process that happens in the brain helps me know why deep practice works. If I personally understand the how of something I am more likely to dedicate my time to make sure I do my best. I liked the part where he said every expert is the result of 10,000 hours of committed practice, or deliberate practice. I do think there is more to becoming an expert than just 10,000 hours of practice, like we discussed in class, however the hours combined with deep practice can make all the difference.

Application

Drill drill drilll. I think back when I was in marching band and we would do the same 10 seconds of our show over and over again. Even though it was tedious and sometimes tiring and dare I say annoying, I was less likely to make a mistake at that section and I remembered the preciseness of my marching drill. I want to be better at applying this technique in my practices. Drill drill drill. I want to work on my songs a piece at a time and drill it until I know it.

Courtney- Coyle- Ch. 1-2

Summary

Chapter 1 discusses what Coyle calls “The Sweet Spot.” This is a state of practicing where one is operating at the edge of their ability; working on something that is challenging but not too challenging. In the sweet spot one can make mistakes, think, and struggle through them, and try again slower or in a slightly easier way. Despite what one might thing, struggle and mistakes are an essential part of learning.

Application

In my practicing This means that in my practicing I need to approach mistakes with curiosity rather than frustration. It is also important to make the thing I am working on reasonable. I should not try and work on too many things at once as that would be too far outside my current level of capability. At the same time, I need to make sure I am focusing on something specific so that I can observe and catch mistakes.

Courtney-Coyle-Ch. 2

Summary

According to Coyle, one of the major goals in practicing is automaticity. Chapter 2 focuses on the role myelin plays in deep practice and the eventual automaticity of essential skills. Each time a circuit fires, it is wrapped in myelin which not only protects the circuit, but makes it fire more quickly and in better timing with other circuits. By practicing deeply, we are making it more likely that our circuits will fire without the same level of mental focus and at the same time as other essential circuits.

Application

In my practicing I need to remember that there are a lot of circuits to myelinate and therefore it is not plausible to deep practice them all at once. As I focus on one skill or phrase, I am helping myelinate that skill so that eventually it will become automatic and I can combine it efficiently with other skills/circuits.

Tanner Pruett - Coyle - Ch 1-2

 Chapter 1

This chapter is titled, "The Sweet Spot," which Thomas (in class) described as the ideal measure of goal gap between current ability and a goal. We discussed this a little in class, but I think what I found most interesting about this concept was the idea that the goal gap and the ultimate goal should be measurable. I think many young students make goals for themselves that may take a lifetime to achieve, like, "sing a lead role on Broadway," or "perform at the Met." These are great lifetime goals, but they overlook smaller, important goals that could lead to these bigger goals. Goals like, "sing for one hour everyday," or "practice for half an hour without feeling tension or fatigue," help the young singer build the tools necessary for larger success. I also liked the book's discussion of the experiment where you try to remember words from column A and column B. The book claims that most people remember  the words from column B because they had to think about the words in that column that were missing a letter. Correcting the errors in these words help the people in this experiment remember what was wrong and remember the words as a result. This idea of error correction is what I think dictates the best kind of practice. We should encourage and celebrate our students' errors, because if we can teach them to notice them for themselves, they will become unstoppable singers. 

Chapter 2

The second chapter of this book is titled, "The Deep Practice Cell," and it discusses the discovery and details of a microscopic substance called myelin. This substances wraps around circuits nerve fibers that fire in different directions in the brain and wrapping around them optimizes their signal speed, strength, and accuracy. I think one of the most important concepts I learned from this chapter's discussion of myelin was that it can be used to solidify good and bad habits. If we practice the wrong way for extended periods of time, it becomes increasingly difficult to reoptimize the circuits of nerve fibers that are used to singing with poor technique. This is why we need to teach our students to practice often, but more importantly, to practice intentionally. This is a concept I was kind of familiar with before this chapter, and it makes my practice sessions anxiety producing. I do not want to implement bad singing habits into my mind, but sometimes I am not aware enough to understand the errors in my technique. Any ideas to help young students who may also have this fear of accidentally implementing bad singing habits into their mind?

Kennan Thompson-Coyle-Ch.1&2

Summary Ch.1:

One of the main ideas of chapter 1 that resonated with me is this idea of a sweet spot. A place where you are working on something that isn't too hard that you become overwhelmed and isn't too easy that you become bored. This idea of helping our students find this sweet spot is so important for any teacher to help their students reach their goals and genuinely enjoy what they are working towards. Coyle mentions multiple examples of people who are "purposely operating at the edges of their ability, so they will screw up." This consistent challenge will help learners build skills that will help them improve, consistently.

Application:

After reading this chapter I found myself trying to rethink the idea of failure and changing it to think of growth. When something is just hard enough that we can't quite succeed at first or succeed easily will do more for us than if we are able to go through the motions and succeed. For example, when I looked at the two different sections of words (ocean/breeze and bread/ b_tter) it was amazing how much easier it was for me to remember the words in the second category. I've always struggled with memorization and using simple techniques like this (causing me to struggle at first) will help me in something as basic as memorizing my text.

Summary Ch.2:

Myelin is such a fascinating thing to study. The best way to improve at something is to make the neurons in your brain fire and travel faster. Myelin insulates those fibers that will increase the signal strength, speed, and accuracy. In order to build this Myelin, we have to struggle. Struggle is essential. Myelin wraps but does not unwrap. This requires deep practice in the correct way. If you make a mistake, stop, fix the mistake, continue. Consistently refer back to the more difficult sections to build the myelin to help your circuits fire in the correct way.

Application:

This helps me be more aware of my practicing. If I am consistently practicing the wrong way, this will cause my circuits to fire incorrectly making it more difficult to do things right. I have to be able to address my mistakes right on the spot. If I am singing through a piece and I notice that at a certain part I raise my larynx and become tight, I need to stop (sing it down the octave if need be), address the issue, and fix it. Never keep making the same mistake over and over again without fixing it. Going along with the first chapter, I need to look at mistakes as an opportunity to become better.

Saige-Coyle-Ch1-2

Saige-Coyle-Ch1

    As I was reading about all the different theories, stories, and accomplishments discussed in the book so far, I was very fascinated with how working with what you already know helps you become better. Even more so, however, I thought some of the crazy ideas, like the Link trainers and futsal, that people tried were very creative. In fact, they remind me of some of the techniques my own voice teacher, Laurie Hart, uses for me. For instance, she would have me do exercises that over-pushed me and then return to the regular singing position. Such exercises included resting on a yoga ball or singing a chunk of a song down the octave before going back to the original. Once we broke down the song and the techniques I learned by utilizing these tricks, it made it so much easier for me to apply the techniques and find my “sweet spot,” and I improved drastically!

Saige-Coyle-Ch2

    The relation to myelin and skill was quite fascinating to me, and I hope to use it to my advantage. As I practice, I realize now that when I just run through the song, I am only reinforcing what I typically do while singing the song. Instead, I should practice more in chunks, so that when I get to that part of the song, I find it more naturally easy, because I have worked to develop that skill. I also liked that Coyle mentioned the 10,000 hour rule, and I totally believe that it works for making skills permanent. I never really liked the term “perfect practice,” because learning how to practice wisely takes time, and saying that practice should be done perfectly suggests that you have to be perfect right away, and it is impossible to be perfect right away. I suppose a more accurate way I have interpreted what I have taken away from this is that practice makes permanent, so practicing “perfect practice” makes perfect.

Kaylee Borchert-Coyle-Ch.1-2

 Chapter 1:

Targeting your practice and slowing it down will help your abilities and make you smarter because as you break it down you will be able to focus and correct any mistakes. This kind of deep practicing and targeted practicing will produce much better and longer lasting results. We wouldn’t think twice about meaningful practicing in dangerous jobs so why should we not apply that concept in developing other skills?

Application: I think I can apply this by taking my practice and slowing down. I often rush through just singing my songs through so that I can say I’ve done it, but I really need to take my practicing slower by breaking down my songs and listening for mistakes and fixing them immediately so I don’t build bad habits. 

Chapter 2:

Myelin wraps around nerve fibers and builds stronger and more accurate signals that improve the fluency in our movement and thoughts. Being aware of the mistakes in our practice helps us to “fire” the myelin in our brains, fix the mistakes that we make, and then continue firing and fixing the problems building the skill we are working at. One of the ideas discussed in this chapter that stood out to me the most was when it talked about how if you don't love what you are doing, then you'll never truly be great at it. It is the idea that you wont work hard enough at it, and put in the time required, if you aren’t willing to dedicate yourself to it. I loved this idea and found it honestly very inspiring!

Application: I would apply this chapter similarly to how I applied the first chapter by breaking down my practice but then also practicing my songs —correctly— over and over again so that I can really build good habits!

Logan Kelley-Coyle-Ch 1-2

Chapter 1:

Summary:
A person will most effectively improve in a skill if they can practice deeply. Like Brazilian soccer players, this involves finding a sweet spot, or practicing in a way so that the most difficult and important skills are condensed. The best performers work on challenging sections until they get them right. They don’t let themselves solidify any habit that is not worth keeping. The best kind of practice consists of recall and an empathy toward failure. Once a person can combine these attributes, they will be most able to grow in their skill.

Application:
I need to plan my own practice in a way that results in deeper learning. I will be more effective if I can set goals and make plans to achieve them while still having sympathy with myself during the learning process. As a voice teacher, I will demonstrate principles of deep learning in my lessons, and help the students develop plans to practice in similar ways so that they can best improve.

Chapter 2:

Summary:

Myelin is the key to improving our skill. Repeated mistake-focused practice begins the process of wrapping myelin along the nerve fibers that are necessary for our success. This process of wrapping takes a long time, so it takes consistent effort and practice done in an accurate way. Otherwise, the neurological pathways will be created in the incorrect fashions and it will be hard to refocus the myelin sheath. You must struggle in order for the brain to fire in the ways it needs to wrap the myelin and build the habits.

Application:

Being conscious of myelin firings can help me practice more effectively. Engaging in deep practice and using memory recall will help trigger wrapping of the myelin sheath in my brain. I need to focus on small, problematic sections of the music until I can consistently execute them perfectly. If I am able to do this, I will build skills that will be healthy and long-lasting. Once I am comfortable with this pattern, I will be able to pass on this pattern to students that I teach.