I am currently reading a book on running by Danny Dreyer called ChiRunning. I have only just started this book, but have already come away with at least one great point that applies across the board of skill acquisition:
"Making an activity a practice is a process of self-mastery... One reason to practice a skill is to make that skill easier until it doesn't take effort."
This sums up why we practice better than anything I've ever read. I truthfully could end this post here and I feel it would be sufficient, however I'll expound.
Whenever we begin to learn a skill, be it a new language, instrument or physical activity it is a difficult task. There are many new things going on that we have to process and think about getting right that sometimes the ultimate goal seems incomprehensible. However, as we continue to work on the skill (a.k.a. practice) the smaller building blocks that we stumbled over before become simpler and simpler to the point that we eventually don't think about them at all. Naturally, there are always more blocks to come on top of the ones we already laid out, however as the process continues in the same way with new, challenging concepts gradually becoming easier and eventually becoming second nature. This is the beauty of skill acquisition!
The end result of this process is something we all know when we see it, a sense of ease that a master has when performing his/her skill. This is what we should all strive for no matter what skill we are learning. Below I will post a couple clips of the end result in various skill areas.
The most obvious master in the modern age of operatic singing, Luciano Pavarotti. For that matter, also a master conductor, Herbert von Karajan.
One of the best running backs of all time, Barry Sanders.
One of the best short distance runners around, Usain Bolt.
One example of many masters of language, Richard Simcott.
A brief update on my own journey: French is progressing along steadily. I plan to finish up my French studies during the first week of the new year and then I will move on to German! Vocally things are really starting to solidify for me. I have recently found my high A and am gaining a lot of stability with it, the next step here is to hone in on the B-flat!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Barefooting It!
Recently I had grown tired of constantly having shin splints while running. Upon inquiring about this on facebook I was referenced to the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. After reading the book I was convinced to try barefoot running and see if this could cure what ails me. I proceed from that book to Jason Robillard's Barefoot Running Handbook which I found in e-book form through the Runner's World Barefoot forum. Now I am currently reading Barefoot Running Step by Step by Ken Bob Saxton. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I have the tendency to go nuts when I find a new thing to be interested in. After a few weeks of trying out various things and reading and trying to internalize what I have read I finally was able to go out on the track today and run 200 m. without experiencing any shin pain. My only casualty was a small blister on my left foot, which leaves me with more technique things to work out, namely lifting my foot instead of pushing off. I always appreciate acquiring new skills.
I have noticed that sill acquisition is a kind of crosstraining for the brain. It seems to me that the more skills we attempt to acquire the better we are at acquiring skills. My first real experience in conscious skill acquisition was a long time ago when I first set out to learn to play the saxophone. As time went on I learned skills such as basketball, billiards, darts - mostly physical skills. I noticed however that a large uptake to my acquisition speed was when I began to learn languages. It seems that there is something about developing a process of learning on my own that has enabled me to know how to approach other skills now. There is a saying that the more languages you learn, the easier it is to learn more languages. I always thought that this was due to common structures, vocabulary and such; however, I am beginning to think that while those things are helpful, the real key is that you know what your process needs to be.
Being a research minded individual I found as many different methods of language acquisition as possible during my initial 10-month cycle. By going through in a sort of trial and error fashion I learned what worked well for me and what didn't. Now, I have developed a method for myself that has enabled me from being at an A2 level in French to a solid B2 if not a lower C1 level in a matter of four months! Applying that to other areas, when I decided to give barefooting a go, I found a couple of highly recommended books and studied them thoroughly then fused a method out of the books to make it my own and now I am looking down the barrel at actually being a runner like my parents were. I didn't really know where this blog post was going to go, but I feel like the moral here that I want everyone to take away is this: Develop your own method! I believe that there is much we can learn from others, however at the end of the day we have to make our skills our own. This is what separates us as artists and as human beings - our sense of self.
I have noticed that sill acquisition is a kind of crosstraining for the brain. It seems to me that the more skills we attempt to acquire the better we are at acquiring skills. My first real experience in conscious skill acquisition was a long time ago when I first set out to learn to play the saxophone. As time went on I learned skills such as basketball, billiards, darts - mostly physical skills. I noticed however that a large uptake to my acquisition speed was when I began to learn languages. It seems that there is something about developing a process of learning on my own that has enabled me to know how to approach other skills now. There is a saying that the more languages you learn, the easier it is to learn more languages. I always thought that this was due to common structures, vocabulary and such; however, I am beginning to think that while those things are helpful, the real key is that you know what your process needs to be.
Being a research minded individual I found as many different methods of language acquisition as possible during my initial 10-month cycle. By going through in a sort of trial and error fashion I learned what worked well for me and what didn't. Now, I have developed a method for myself that has enabled me from being at an A2 level in French to a solid B2 if not a lower C1 level in a matter of four months! Applying that to other areas, when I decided to give barefooting a go, I found a couple of highly recommended books and studied them thoroughly then fused a method out of the books to make it my own and now I am looking down the barrel at actually being a runner like my parents were. I didn't really know where this blog post was going to go, but I feel like the moral here that I want everyone to take away is this: Develop your own method! I believe that there is much we can learn from others, however at the end of the day we have to make our skills our own. This is what separates us as artists and as human beings - our sense of self.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Nothing is Hard!
Today I had a friend whom I had not seen in some time ask me how my languages were coming. I spoke truthfully and said that I am now conversational in Italian, French and Spanish as well as some Swedish. This prompted a response which I get a lot and spend most of my time trying to refute: "You have a gift - languages are hard (rough paraphrase)." I responded to this as I always do saying that nothing is hard.
For whatever reason I always get strange looks when I say this to people, but let us reflect on it a bit. According to the dictionary.com hard means "difficult to accomplish; fatiguing; troublesome." While most skills might be challenging, I do not believe any of them are actually hard. Take an example from the athletic world, if one wants to learn a particular sport or fundamental of a sport there is a process involved in acquisition:
1.) Instruction
2.) Practice
3.) Application
4.) Acquisition
If this sequence, or some rough form of it, is followed acquisition is unavoidable. I have a friend who is a U-14 soccer coach. One day he was explaining to me how he was teaching his boys to strike the spherical, showing me the proper technique. Afterwards, I went home and for a week practiced the proper technique in slow motion making sure that every bit of the form was correct. When I saw my friend again and was playing around pretending to strike a ball he exclaimed that my form was nearly perfect. In fact, he mentioned that he wanted to take me to a practice to show his boys how the form looked! This is huge for me, considering that I am not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination! Now in reality I have not taken this skill to the next step of application, however I know that if I wanted to I could become very good at striking a soccer ball because I have already laid the groundwork through my practice of the instruction given.
I have unwittingly applied this same process to many skills throughout my life, from my basketball shot, to my billiards playing, to singing and language acquisition. Overall the process is always the same!
The other mantra that goes along with the concept of nothing being hard is "Slow and steady wins the race." Going back to the model of the soccer strike I only would practice the form for maybe thirty seconds at a time multiple times during the day and within no time at all I was able to have perfect technique. In singing, I have never been one for marathon practice sessions, however I consistently put in time every day, multiple times a day. In language acquisition, I only study for approximately 30 minutes a day and then speak to myself and others here and there throughout my day. Do I make progress as fast as others? Not always. However, the progress is consistent and always forward. My fiancée today remarked that my French has now gotten to a level that she doesn't understand what I say. That is in only three months of steady work as compared to her four years of schooling! Similarly, when I began the road to becoming a singer I was bad; not just mediocre but flat out horrible. I even had people questioning why I was a voice major, but over time with my consistent and constant practicing (generally not in an actual practice room, but more on that in a minute) I eclipsed the majority of my graduating class and am one of only a few still following my career path.
The key to this mantra is to always be in a state of practice. As a singer, I sing all the time. That may seem like a "duh" statement to some, but let me expound a bit: I literally sing ALL THE TIME. I sing in the shower, when I get in the car, walking through the store, in the practice room, in my apartment, in my mother's house, in church, etc. The difference between me and others is that I am always attempting to sing my technique whenever I open my mouth to sing. This is how I have gone from worst to best in some circles of singers. It is not always about the amount of time spent in the practice room, or in the library or on the pitch. It is about the amount of time spent. It is better to spend 5 minutes practicing 20 times a day then 1 hour practicing once a day. If you want to learn a skill, any skill, learn the technique and practice it constantly. Before long you will become an expert without even realizing it.
For whatever reason I always get strange looks when I say this to people, but let us reflect on it a bit. According to the dictionary.com hard means "difficult to accomplish; fatiguing; troublesome." While most skills might be challenging, I do not believe any of them are actually hard. Take an example from the athletic world, if one wants to learn a particular sport or fundamental of a sport there is a process involved in acquisition:
1.) Instruction
2.) Practice
3.) Application
4.) Acquisition
If this sequence, or some rough form of it, is followed acquisition is unavoidable. I have a friend who is a U-14 soccer coach. One day he was explaining to me how he was teaching his boys to strike the spherical, showing me the proper technique. Afterwards, I went home and for a week practiced the proper technique in slow motion making sure that every bit of the form was correct. When I saw my friend again and was playing around pretending to strike a ball he exclaimed that my form was nearly perfect. In fact, he mentioned that he wanted to take me to a practice to show his boys how the form looked! This is huge for me, considering that I am not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination! Now in reality I have not taken this skill to the next step of application, however I know that if I wanted to I could become very good at striking a soccer ball because I have already laid the groundwork through my practice of the instruction given.
I have unwittingly applied this same process to many skills throughout my life, from my basketball shot, to my billiards playing, to singing and language acquisition. Overall the process is always the same!
The other mantra that goes along with the concept of nothing being hard is "Slow and steady wins the race." Going back to the model of the soccer strike I only would practice the form for maybe thirty seconds at a time multiple times during the day and within no time at all I was able to have perfect technique. In singing, I have never been one for marathon practice sessions, however I consistently put in time every day, multiple times a day. In language acquisition, I only study for approximately 30 minutes a day and then speak to myself and others here and there throughout my day. Do I make progress as fast as others? Not always. However, the progress is consistent and always forward. My fiancée today remarked that my French has now gotten to a level that she doesn't understand what I say. That is in only three months of steady work as compared to her four years of schooling! Similarly, when I began the road to becoming a singer I was bad; not just mediocre but flat out horrible. I even had people questioning why I was a voice major, but over time with my consistent and constant practicing (generally not in an actual practice room, but more on that in a minute) I eclipsed the majority of my graduating class and am one of only a few still following my career path.
The key to this mantra is to always be in a state of practice. As a singer, I sing all the time. That may seem like a "duh" statement to some, but let me expound a bit: I literally sing ALL THE TIME. I sing in the shower, when I get in the car, walking through the store, in the practice room, in my apartment, in my mother's house, in church, etc. The difference between me and others is that I am always attempting to sing my technique whenever I open my mouth to sing. This is how I have gone from worst to best in some circles of singers. It is not always about the amount of time spent in the practice room, or in the library or on the pitch. It is about the amount of time spent. It is better to spend 5 minutes practicing 20 times a day then 1 hour practicing once a day. If you want to learn a skill, any skill, learn the technique and practice it constantly. Before long you will become an expert without even realizing it.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
A Passion for Learning
I determined the other day that I have a problem. As soon as I become interested in a topic I try to learn as much about it as possible. Examples are as follows:
1.) When I first became interested in the science of singing I read as much as I could get my hands on about the topic. I covered authors spanning from Tosi and Lamperti up through Reid and Frisell. I even read Jerome Hines book on pedagogy (not Great Singers on Great Singing, but his other book, The Four Voices of Man. Overall, I spent about six years reading almost exclusively about the voice and the art of singing.
2.) When I decided to truly become Catholic, I again went and obtained as much information as I could about the Church. In my collection I own works by Thomas a Kempis, St. Teresa of Avila, Jean-Pierre Caussade, G.K. Chesterton, etc. not to mention having a catechism and Bible with me nearly all the time.
3.) Now I have taken up an interest in running, specifically in barefoot running and the same pattern has followed. I already have two books coming in through ILL and have an eBook in my possesion which I am currently reading in addition to the book that I have already finished.
Truthfully this is not a problem, maybe a slight disorder especially compared to other people in my generation that I have witnessed. The urge to learn, I believe, is one of the greatest determinants of eventual success. How can anyone become an expert of anything if they are not willing to do research on their own. A friend of mine who I was recently discussing this topic with commented that this makes almost obvious success. In his professional world, as in many, the first step to proving a theory is to research and see what has come before the theory and what might make it plausible.
In our instant gratification world, so few of my peers even pick up a recreational tome, let alone an informational, non-fiction book unless they are being forced to do so by some class. Why have we as a generation moved so far away from a true thirst for knowledge? If anything, this trend seems counterintuitive to me. We now have the internet and eBooks at our fingertips which can provide us vast information about practically anything we could want to know; and yet most people would rather spend their time on social networking sites.
I would still be a complete novice in all four areas of passion in my life were it not for my thirst for knowledge. I submit that I still am a novice in some areas due to my relatively new discovery of them, however I can say without hesitation that because of my unquenchable thirst for knowledge that I will quickly surpass others who may have started down a particular path prior to me.
A prime example of this lies in language, one of the main purposes of this blog. I am currently working on French, as you all know, and prior to this current time I had taken one semester at university and spent one month on my own working on the language. When I decided to focus on this particular language I did what I do with nearly all of my passions: I signed up on a forum concerning the topic. From this forum I was able to ascertain numerous possibilities of ways to study and from there determine what I wanted to try. The next step was to get materials I would need. In general I attempt to get as much as I can for free or inexpensively. In the case of French many of my materials came from the library and inter-library loan (ILL). What I could not get for free I bought from a discount site, half.com. After I get my resources it is just a matter of application and practice. I continue to research new possibilities to aid me in my learning and acquisition and continue to watch my progress. Approximately two and a half months after starting this focus on French I was able to list the language as one I can speak. Now nearly four months in I am continuing to grow my skill and am nearing towards my final goal in this language, which is to be able to teach or give a speech comfortably.
The above process goes for any skill that I embark upon learning. I have already proven to myself that I can succeed in picking up any skill because of my desire to learn and constantly improve. Imagine the things we could accomplish in this world if everyone had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and did not just want to skate by on their undeveloped talents.
1.) When I first became interested in the science of singing I read as much as I could get my hands on about the topic. I covered authors spanning from Tosi and Lamperti up through Reid and Frisell. I even read Jerome Hines book on pedagogy (not Great Singers on Great Singing, but his other book, The Four Voices of Man. Overall, I spent about six years reading almost exclusively about the voice and the art of singing.
2.) When I decided to truly become Catholic, I again went and obtained as much information as I could about the Church. In my collection I own works by Thomas a Kempis, St. Teresa of Avila, Jean-Pierre Caussade, G.K. Chesterton, etc. not to mention having a catechism and Bible with me nearly all the time.
3.) Now I have taken up an interest in running, specifically in barefoot running and the same pattern has followed. I already have two books coming in through ILL and have an eBook in my possesion which I am currently reading in addition to the book that I have already finished.
Truthfully this is not a problem, maybe a slight disorder especially compared to other people in my generation that I have witnessed. The urge to learn, I believe, is one of the greatest determinants of eventual success. How can anyone become an expert of anything if they are not willing to do research on their own. A friend of mine who I was recently discussing this topic with commented that this makes almost obvious success. In his professional world, as in many, the first step to proving a theory is to research and see what has come before the theory and what might make it plausible.
In our instant gratification world, so few of my peers even pick up a recreational tome, let alone an informational, non-fiction book unless they are being forced to do so by some class. Why have we as a generation moved so far away from a true thirst for knowledge? If anything, this trend seems counterintuitive to me. We now have the internet and eBooks at our fingertips which can provide us vast information about practically anything we could want to know; and yet most people would rather spend their time on social networking sites.
I would still be a complete novice in all four areas of passion in my life were it not for my thirst for knowledge. I submit that I still am a novice in some areas due to my relatively new discovery of them, however I can say without hesitation that because of my unquenchable thirst for knowledge that I will quickly surpass others who may have started down a particular path prior to me.
A prime example of this lies in language, one of the main purposes of this blog. I am currently working on French, as you all know, and prior to this current time I had taken one semester at university and spent one month on my own working on the language. When I decided to focus on this particular language I did what I do with nearly all of my passions: I signed up on a forum concerning the topic. From this forum I was able to ascertain numerous possibilities of ways to study and from there determine what I wanted to try. The next step was to get materials I would need. In general I attempt to get as much as I can for free or inexpensively. In the case of French many of my materials came from the library and inter-library loan (ILL). What I could not get for free I bought from a discount site, half.com. After I get my resources it is just a matter of application and practice. I continue to research new possibilities to aid me in my learning and acquisition and continue to watch my progress. Approximately two and a half months after starting this focus on French I was able to list the language as one I can speak. Now nearly four months in I am continuing to grow my skill and am nearing towards my final goal in this language, which is to be able to teach or give a speech comfortably.
The above process goes for any skill that I embark upon learning. I have already proven to myself that I can succeed in picking up any skill because of my desire to learn and constantly improve. Imagine the things we could accomplish in this world if everyone had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and did not just want to skate by on their undeveloped talents.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Frustrations, Progress and a Diatribe
In the past two and a half weeks I have had quite a few different emotions running through my system in regards to language, singing and life in general. Starting with languages, I had a week of solid conversational French practice while I was in Kentucky on a mission trip with my friend Ernest. For those who don't know, Ernest is from Cameroon and fluent in about eight languages ranging from Italian to Bengali. After that week I jumped right back into my studying and am progressing at a very pleasing rate in French. I anticipate that I should be able to call myself fluent in French by the new year. That may seem far off to some of you and not long enough at all to others, but the truth is that languages can be learned quickly if the motivation is there.
The frustrations of my past two and a half weeks came in singing. During my week in Kentucky I was unable to practice at all outside of singing for daily mass. When I got back in the practice room the next week I felt like my voice was not doing anything correctly. Then, luckily, I began to turn things around late this past week. I also had a realization that I have been breathing far too shallow for far too long. Now that I am taking completely full breaths I have found that singing is feeling much better again. My current frustration now is finding the funds to get down to NYC for a lesson with JRL. I posted an ad on my facebook asking for applications for a patron, but no one seems interested which is sad for me.
Now onto my diatribe which will take this blog of course momentarily. This past evening I attended a "Teen Life Mass" at a nearby Catholic Church. I had recently heard stories about these masses from traditionalist (like myself) speaking of various horrors inherent in this style of mass. To my mind, these were all verified during the course of the mass. The purpose of a Teen Life Mass is to reach the teens through more "accessible" music and encourage their participation. However, to me, I was attending a protestant mega-church worship service rather than a mass. The major problem I have with the music is not necessarily the music itself; contemporary christian music has its place, but not in the mass. There was a huge disconnect between the upbeat, bubble-gum music and the solemnity of the rest of the rites of the mass. Not only that, but the music had nil to do with the actual readings, which it is supposed to according to the general rules for the mass. Also, the whole point of this music is to engage the teens and youth of the parish more, however I saw a very small percentage of these people actually participating in the singing! There were other problems within the course of the mass liturgically speaking. During the mass I vowed to never be at another Teen Life Mass in my life. What this type of mass does is set up the youth of the parish to leave the Church! I pray that the new missal and future reforms will save our youth from the horrors of the Teen Life Mass and bring back a sense of reverence to the Mass.
The frustrations of my past two and a half weeks came in singing. During my week in Kentucky I was unable to practice at all outside of singing for daily mass. When I got back in the practice room the next week I felt like my voice was not doing anything correctly. Then, luckily, I began to turn things around late this past week. I also had a realization that I have been breathing far too shallow for far too long. Now that I am taking completely full breaths I have found that singing is feeling much better again. My current frustration now is finding the funds to get down to NYC for a lesson with JRL. I posted an ad on my facebook asking for applications for a patron, but no one seems interested which is sad for me.
Now onto my diatribe which will take this blog of course momentarily. This past evening I attended a "Teen Life Mass" at a nearby Catholic Church. I had recently heard stories about these masses from traditionalist (like myself) speaking of various horrors inherent in this style of mass. To my mind, these were all verified during the course of the mass. The purpose of a Teen Life Mass is to reach the teens through more "accessible" music and encourage their participation. However, to me, I was attending a protestant mega-church worship service rather than a mass. The major problem I have with the music is not necessarily the music itself; contemporary christian music has its place, but not in the mass. There was a huge disconnect between the upbeat, bubble-gum music and the solemnity of the rest of the rites of the mass. Not only that, but the music had nil to do with the actual readings, which it is supposed to according to the general rules for the mass. Also, the whole point of this music is to engage the teens and youth of the parish more, however I saw a very small percentage of these people actually participating in the singing! There were other problems within the course of the mass liturgically speaking. During the mass I vowed to never be at another Teen Life Mass in my life. What this type of mass does is set up the youth of the parish to leave the Church! I pray that the new missal and future reforms will save our youth from the horrors of the Teen Life Mass and bring back a sense of reverence to the Mass.
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