Reality-check for young musicians and their parents

© Andy Dean - Fotolia.com

I am going to go out on a limb here and say something that might just baffle a lot of folks.  Are you ready? Drumroll please...

Becoming a musician and being a musician requires more concentration, precision, and skill over a longer period of time than doing just about anything else.

Repeat that a couple of times to yourself and really think about it because this is important to understand if we want folks to keep on studying music.  I've been developing this thought over the course of many months through my work with some of the young musicians I accompany.  There is one in particular, who has spent much of the year on a bit of a plateau which has raised some concern among those who support her.  The frustration grew so intense that her parents asked me the dreaded question, "Do you really think she should keep on playing music?  Should we continue supporting and encouraging her down this path?"  Now it's important for you to understand that this musician's parents are wonderfully supportive people so this wasn't just an unsympathetic reaction.  I understood their frustration on many different levels and was a bit frustrated myself because as her accompanist and coach,  I was feeling the plateau as well.  In the sometimes-painful months that followed I had many discussions...with the musician herself, her mother, my husband (a great sounding-board!), a dear friend of mind that taught chemistry at Virginia Tech for many, many years...after it all, I was convinced of two things:

1. we couldn't give up - this young girl loves music too much and works too hard to take it away from her. 
2. it was no wonder she was struggling - some of the skills/qualities needed in order to improve on an instrument are ones that are rarely taught or seen these days, especially in younger people...

...sure there are some that are naturally gifted at being perfectionists, myself included.  We make terrific musicians because we are bound and determined to do what it takes to get every note the way we want it.  But not everyone is made that way and I don't believe that the musical world should turn these folks away, especially if they do have the ability to learn and if they are willing to work hard, like the young musician I mentioned above.   I also think it's important to note that in this highly technological age, when we are accustomed to machines and electronics doing most of our detailed work, calculations, and thinking for us, the process of music-making on acoustic instruments or using our voices is not very different than it was a hundred or two-hundred years ago.  Yes, there are apps being developed to help people with practicing and to aid in learning music, and some of them are fantastic, but a lot of the work that is needed to progress as musicians is the same work that has been done for many, many years, without the aid of gadgets.  This disparity is only going to widen as the years go on and as people continue to find ways for technology to provide nifty shortcuts for everything.  It is the job of teachers and parents to walk alongside young musicians and to help them gain the skills they need in order to play their instrument.  We need to teach them how to practice step-by-step; we need to teach them how to make decisions about music; we need to teach them how to listen all the time; we need to teach them how to concentrate; we need to teach them how to perform; and most importantly, we need to teach them when to let go and to simply enjoy making music.

So back to my original statement at the beginning of my post...do I really mean what I said?  Am I implying that playing music is harder than, say, performing intricate surgery on a human brain? or being the President of the United States of America?  Well, in a way, yes...because for most people, the study of music starts at such a young age and consumes an incredibly high percentage of one's time and also because with music, there is only so much that technology can help with.  

Hmmm...makes me pretty amazed at what we do and makes me all the more impressed at how persistent this young girl is about wanting to play music.  Does our not giving up in this particular case mean that we should never let a young musician throw in the towel?  That's a topic for another post but for now I will say that I think there are times when it's all right to set music aside.  And when that happens it should be done with the knowledge that it's not a sign of failure on anyone's part.  Music is not an easy pursuit to follow, especially these days with iPads, video games, and other attractive technology that require button pushing, but in a much less taxing way.

Oh, and in case case you were wondering, the musician in question is doing just great - finally bought a train ticket off that darned plateau and is headed for new adventures in music!