Practice makes?

There's an article in today's New York Times about violinist Hilary Hahn. She is a well-known concert violinist who is very interested in music education. She is an amazing violinist. I have heard her in concert several times. She is also interested in de-mystifying how she got that way and showing how deliberate practice is essential. She is posting bits of her violin practice time, #100daysofpractice, on Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok. She's deliberately choosing bits that are not technically impressive and are not perfect.

She says her initial idea was to show how deliberate, regular practice makes progress. Because she is highlighting playing that needs practice, that is not "perfect," she has inspired others to accept less than perfection as okay, sort of a zen of practice. 

Deliberate practice here means thinking in advance of what you want to accomplish and how you will get there. It seems obvious but there are many who practice without a goal. 

This all reminded me of a book that was popular some years ago, The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle. Coyle analyzes the things needed to be successful in pretty much any area. The three things are deep, focused practice, passion, and a master teacher. One of my acquaintances told me about listening to a college-age violinist practice. She played the same passage over and over, but when she finished and left the practice room the passage wasn't any better than when she started.

Hilary Hahn inspired me today to join Instagram to find her!