When I was 9 years old, I started playing the piano. I attended sessions with my teacher on a weekly basis, I enjoyed playing the songs I knew, but I never really practiced between those sessions.
When I was 13, we moved. Along with puberty came a severe case of “I don’t want to do anything you tell me” and so…I quit.
Bad move.
In Talent Is Overrated, Geoff Colvin breaks down the science of deliberate practice. He says there are three big advantages to starting one as a kid:
- Children don’t have to deal with the responsibilities of adulthood, like work or family, so they can practice more.
- They can rely on a support network, i.e. their family, that might not be there when they’re grown up.
- Our brains get slower over time, but at a young age, children can still learn a lot very fast and make bigger leaps in progress.
Look at Tsung Tsung from Hong Kong at age 5. He’s clearly cashed in on those advantages:
Now you might say he’s a genius. The more realistic explanation is that his father simply made sure he practiced. Every day.
Most teenagers lose their drive to play an instrument, continue soccer practice or keep painting. It’s hard for parents to try and force them through this rough patch. But it might be the right thing to do.
In the book, Geoff explains the multiplier effect: Eventually, being better than most of your peers sparks the motivation to continue.
Once you break a certain barrier, like:
- Pulling off “The Flight of the Bumblebee” on piano
- Outscoring your team mates by 10 points on average in basketball
- Having an art gallery accept your painting…
…your inner drive will light up on its own, and you’re good to go.
But in order to get there, you first have to practice – and no harm is done when that practice is forced upon you at first.
Tsung Tsung is 9 now. He’s played some big shows, has been on Ellen and won several competitions. I wouldn’t be surprised if he composes too:
I’m 26 now. If I had kept at it, I would have 17 years of piano practice under my belt today. Would it be enough to beat someone as gifted as Tsung Tsung? Of course not.
But enough to make a living, practice more, release my own music and eventually, one day, catch that dream? Sure.
The best habit you can pick up when you’re young, or gift your kids with when they are, is any habit you can build a deliberate practice around.
It could be:
- Writing
- Singing
- Dancing
- Selling
- Driving
- Farming
- Skateboarding
- Skiing
…or, of course, making music.
Tied up in that single habit will be passion, motivation, discipline, independence, learning, freedom, and, most importantly, a fulfilled life.
Now excuse me, I have an old keyboard to sell.
PS: A great movie about this idea is Whiplash.
