Excellent if somewhat obvious article on practice habits

violindad
Sat, 02 May 2009 12:34:39 +0000

CLRN8MOM, I agree with you about 99% (and possibly 100%), as well: Mozart was a true genius and there are a few out there. His extensive exposure to music from a young age and his genetic hard-wiring would undoubtably have predisposed him to quick and deep musical learning and development.

However, the story that he was able to produce beautiful music on the violin on first picking it up is just a story. I am certain that he was able to learn to play the violin exceptionally quickly, but I am equally certain that it did not happen instantly and that he put many long hours into practice. While genius is usually quickly evident when a young musical genius begins to learn an instrument, I am unaware of any genius that has been able to play proficiently without a considerable expenditure of time.

Part of the genius is the speed with which improvement occurs, but much of the genius resides in the child’s ability and desire to spend long hours in playing and mastering the instrument. Most young children do not have the attention span or intense focus to benefit much after spending 30 to 60 minutes on a particular activity. The activity becomes boring or even painful and their brain shuts down, preventing further learning for that day. Suzuki teachers often suggest several practice sessions of 5 to 10 minutes for young children. My understanding is that Mozart was able to spend many hours each day learning music when he was very young.

Malcolm Gladwell’s excellent book “Outliers” devotes considerable attention to the myth of instant skills in music (or in any other area). In particular, he examines the stories surrounding Mozart. Gladwell is largely responsible for popularizing the “10000-hours-for-mastery” idea.

Mozart’s age was a credulous one, and unsubstantiable tales abounded and helped sell products like the young Mozart. His father had a very profitable commodity in his son and it seems probable that Leopold or those around him may have exaggerated the rapdity of Wolfgang’s acquisition of his skills in performing and composing.

I highly recommend Gladwell’s book which explores our ideas around high achievers.