Gary McPherson, a music educator, once posed an interesting question about children who learn to play musical instruments:
‘Why do they make different levels of progress even though they receive the same lessons?’
To find the answer, he randomly selected 157 children who had just started learning an instrument and began a research study. About nine months later, he assessed their skills and analyzed various data. Surprisingly, factors like intelligence, auditory development, sense of rhythm, or family income had little impact. The decisive factor in their skill development was their passion and interest. Before their first lesson, McPherson asked each child:
“How long do you think you’ll play this instrument?”
The children who responded, “All my life,” showed noticeable improvement every day. On the other hand, those who answered, “Just a little while,” didn’t progress much. The mindset of continuing to play helped the first group enjoy practice and steadily improve.
When you have genuine passion and interest in something, you become more focused and naturally improve. Are you channeling your passion and interest into the work you’re doing now?
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