Principles of Success in Music (or Any Skill for That Matter)

I learn from my students all the time. My students make me a better teacher. I've grown so much as an instructor over the past 5 years, thanks to my clients providing me new experiences. What frustrated me about trying to get students over the humps of their vocal challenges, are now opportunities for me to help them in new ways.

I wrote down these principles, and I refer to them with my students. They are:

• Deep focussed attention
• Commitment to the task at hand that very second
• Concentration on a deeper conscious level while singing and before and after singing
• Self awareness and personal responsibility
• Self monitoring (a biggie)
• Repetition and memorization to eliminate confusion of some of the more abstract concepts

The reason I came up with these as they apply to music, is because I wasn't reaching my clients fully. I found that I was having to correct them too often, they were not taking ownership of their skill, and they weren't fully concentrating and remembering to do the techniques. We'd go over what to do, they said they would do it, and as soon as the music started, they would do it incorrectly again.

One client developed a particularly bad habit. He was in the habit of starting to sing incorrectly, having me correct him, and then singing correctly. His brain was conditioned to do this. Once he realized this, he began to take ownership of the process, and we saw an immediate improvement.

I now explain to my clients that I give them the tools to build the house. I give them the concrete foundation and initially help them build. It's up to them to complete the process and keep the house standing. This method of teaching has improved my clients' progress exponentially.

In addition, I ask questions. I often get answers that I do not expect, and am then able to redirect my approach. The teaching process is a give and take. It's important for me to understand my clients, and for them to understand me. This results in far more progress than a simple "do this because I say so" exchange.