When it comes to music, what determines success?
It’s not talent.
It’s not musical parents.
It’s not friends that are musical.
It’s not even the right method.
or an expert teacher.
So what is it?
In this article I’m going to show you the secret formula for helping your kid learn, love, and succeed with music. Don’t worry. The math and the concept are simple. But it’s a super powerful recipe for increasing the odds that your child gets the most out of their beginning music classes and private music lessons.
Let’s start by looking at three different scenarios…
Scenario 1: Musical talent isn’t enough
What do you think the outcome would be if a very talented student never practiced for 10 years?
Not much. In fact, you might say that this kid’s parents wasted a lot of money on lessons over those years.
Very Talented X Never Practices X 10 years = Waste of Parent’s Money
Scenario 2: Practice isn’t enough
How about a very talented student that practices a lot but only sticks with it for 2 or 3 months?
They’re probably not going to reach their full potential as a musician.
Very Talented X Practices a lot X 3 months = Quit too soon
Scenario 3: The path to success with music
But what if you had a student with average talent (or even a below average talent) and they practiced consistently for several years?
They’d naturally make more progress than the more “talented” kids that either didn’t practice or quit too soon.
(Below) Average Talent X Consistent Practice X several years = Success!!!
T x CP x Y = success!
That’s the secret formula for learning, loving and succeeding with music:
- Take a student at any level of talent. T
- Multiply that by Consistent Practice. CP
- And multiply that by the number of Years. Y
- And over time they’ll reach a high level of achievement and enjoyment
T x CP x Y = success!
We’re musicians, not mathematicians. But this formula is a good reminder that:
Talent, Great teachers, Engaging Curriculum, and Proven Methods can help. But the bottom line is consistent practice and a long term commitment to music is absolutely critical to long term success. That’s where you have the most influence as a parent.
You might be wondering how much practice does it take to start learning music? Hint: It’s probably not what you’ve been told. We cover that in another post.
But for now, I want you to have a conversation within your family about committing to making music something your kids are going to engage in over the long term. Think years not months and you’ll be on the right track. That’s what our research on nearly two thousand students and thousands more musical and non-musical adults tells us.
Simple. True. And it Works!
It seems so simple. Yet, it’s true and it works! Consistent Practice over an extended period of time (think years) trumps untapped talent any day. It’s an important lesson about commitment and consistency that we all want our kids to learn so that they can grow up to be successful in anything they choose to do in life.