Can you teach talent?

Most people think of talent as an inborn quality that is identifiable at an early age and can be used to predict who is likely to excel. While it is true that some children acquire skills more rapidly than others, there is research in favor of the view that instruction and practice are the keys to developing talent, musically or otherwise.

Here are some examples from "This is Your Brain on Music" by Daniel J. Levitin:

In several studies, the very best conservatory students were found to have practiced the most, sometimes twice as much as those who weren't judged as good.

In another study, students were secretly divided into two groups (not revealed to the students so as not to bias them) based on teachers' evaluations of their ability, or the perception of talent. Several years later, the students who achieved the highest performance ratings were those who had practiced the most, irrespective of which "talent" group they had been assigned to previously. This suggests that practice is the cause of achievement, not merely something correlated with it. It further suggests that talent is a label that we're using in a circular fashion: When we say that someone is talented, we think we mean that they have some innate predisposition to excel, but in the end, we only apply the term retrospectively, after they have made significant achievements.

Doesn't that make you think differently about talent? The musical talent we see in people is really just a result of their dedication to learning.

So what is going on in the brain of someone learning a skill that causes them to get better?

Learning requires the assimilation and consolidation of information in neural tissue. The more experiences we have with something, the stronger the memory/learning trace for that experience becomes. Although people differ in how long it takes them to consolidate information neurally, it remains true that increased practice leads to a greater number of neural traces, which can combine to create a stronger memory representation. The strength of a memory is related to how many times the original stimulus has been experienced.

Memory strength is also a function of how much we care about the experience. Neurochemical tags associated with memories mark them for importance, and we tend to code as important things that carry with them a lot of emotion, either positive or negative.

This explains why I am no good at chess; I don't care about it and I never practice!

So if you want to do well at something, you have to really care about it. Because Let's Play Music classes are so fun and engaging, learning comes naturally. It's really a great combination! I love seeing my students really "get" new concepts, and I can tell when they have practiced during the week.

So can you teach talent! YOU BET!

Free Sample Class on August 13, 5:00 PM

Did you know you can come with your child to SEE and PARTICIPATE in a Let's Play Music class for FREE?

You can, and I promise it will be fun!

So satisfy your curiosity, do something different, and show your child what a great time can be had in RED BALLOON music class at Miss Kristi's studio.

At the sample class you can get all your questions answered, find out more about this amazing curriculum, and just enjoy being with your child.


Save the date:

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2013
5:00 - 5:45 PM
HAWES/GUADALUPE IN MESA, AZ

RSVP to:

MISS KRISTI 480-313-0428
or CLICK HERE

I accept students ages 4 - 6  in my First Year Let's Play Music classes. Younger children can join a Sound Beginnings music class in the area for great preparation to Let's Play Music and preschool. Find a teacher here. Older children are usually ready for private piano lessons. Please contact me if you would like a referral to a teacher in the area.

(Depending on the number of participants, I may also hold a 4:00 PM Sample Class that same day, so please let me know if that time works better.)

Hope to see you soon!

May There Always be Me

Kim Seyboldt is a Let's Play Music teacher in Colorado. She is also the winner of the Let's Play Music "Through the Eyes of a Child" Essay Contest, which was awarded last month!

I know you are dying to read her touching and well-written Grand Prize essay, so with her permission, I have included it here. Have your tissue box handy and dig in:

May There Always be Me by Kim Seyboldt

Twenty minutes before my parent meeting in August of 2012, I had a pregnant mother, and friend of mine, call me and tell me that there were complications with her unborn daughter and it was going to be too much for their family to participate in LPM and take care of a sick infant. There were a few tears and understanding words shared between us at which point I told her I would be happy to have her 5 yr old son, Carson, participate if something changed.

Sadly, things did change and a week later I attended the funeral of that precious 3 day old daughter.

My friend called me about a week after the funeral and asked if I still had a spot for Carson, which I did. She said she felt as though she needed to keep things as normal as possible for the other children, 5 and 3 years old, after the passing of the baby. Carson is one VERY, VERY active boy who needs an understanding and loving teacher. She thought music class would be a great outlet and learning environment for him.

I asked his mom how he was doing with the death of his little sister and she told me he had never said anything about it. He would act out sometimes but never talked about his sister. They were attending grief counseling where the counselor told them that this was completely normal and he may NEVER talk about it. Young children process differently than adults, but to make sure they always kept the lines of communication open and let him know he could talk about it if he wanted. But not to expect it.

I had him start class on lesson 3 so he would have his mom there with him on his first visit to LPM. I quickly realized that he was going to be a very challenging student. Sitting still and not talking were not his strong points! I sometimes wondered if it was really worth the money being spent. I would often struggle with him walking around, sitting in corners and trying to tell stories, very animated stories, in the middle of my teaching. I would say to him, "I really want to hear that story. Can you remember it and tell me after class?" I would say that to him ... A LOT.

Then came our first time in class talking about a lullaby and listening to/singing 'May There Always be Me.' We rocked as we listened to this song. Carson rocked. He didn't talk. He listened. When I stopped the music he raised his hand. First time ever. I called on him and very excitedly told him, "Thank you for raising your hand!" He said, "That's a song we should sing to my sister." He continued on, "She isn't here anymore. She is in heaven but I think she can still hear us. She died. They put her in a box and sent her to heaven." I was so taken aback. I did not ever expect to hear him talk about the passing of his baby sister. Obviously, this time I let him tell as much of his story as he wanted. "She was sick in my mommy's tummy. The doctor had to take her out. But she was dead. In a box. They put her in a box. It was little. I think me and mommy should sing this song to her at bedtime. It would make her happy. She would like it. I will sing to her." I tried to compose myself and finish class.

I talked with his mom after class and told her what occurred during our lullaby. She was in tears and thanked me over and over for sharing with her and allowing him to share and talk. Up to that point, he still had not said a word about it to anyone. Not once. She was grateful there was an opportunity to get a glimpse into his mind as to what he was feeling and thinking about having a sibling die. The grief counselor prepared her to never expect Carson to speak of it.

Carson had some weeks following that lesson where he would be in tears or would act out. But we worked together. He started answering questions. Correctly. Sometimes yelling out of turn ... but he KNEW HIS STUFF! I can ask him any question today and he will have the right answer. All those weeks of sitting in the corner, wandering around or doing donkey kicks - he was listening. That smart little boy was teasing me and making me think he wasn't paying attention. He was paying attention and music has opened up his world in way I will never be able to understand. A family was strengthened and gained a greater perspective of their 5 year old's life than even a grief counselor could believe. This family was able to better assist their child in healing after the loss of a sister because of what was shared during my LPM class.

I have been teaching LPM for 7 years now. I have seen LPM affect kids and families in so many positive ways throughout the years. However, those 10 minutes during that class listening to Carson's story after singing a lullaby changed me and my outlook on how and why I teach Let's Play Music forever. It reaffirmed to me that music has powers beyond notes and chords. It has strengthened my conviction that every child needs music in their life. And not just for the reasons and benefits we normally think of as music educators. I continue to be impressed with all of my LPM classes, but I especially look forward to seeing what Carson is able to accomplish when he graduates two years from now.