The best lesson from my music classes wasn’t music—it was life-changing.

How did music help me become a better and a well rounded man? Other than the joy music itself and the cognitive boost that it provides, its biggest benefit has been elsewhere. This benefit can be reaped in many places outside music.

I am talking about learning how to learn. It is also called as deliberate practice.

A bit of background on my music learning journey. I have been captivated by instrumental music. It can relax me and hold me in a spell. So I was naturally inclined to learn. I enrolled myself into violin classes about 10 years ago. I have enjoyed the learning all these days.

But I was not aware of an aspect of music learning, that was a revelation. During the first few classes, I realized that it needs immense amount of practice. Elite musicians practice 10-14 hours a day. They practice a composition hundreds or thousands of times. With my day job, I could not afford to spend so much time on practice. But it did not discourage me.


Importance of deliberate practice
I have learnt violin from three teachers so far. But one thing has been common among all their teachings. They have emphasized the way to practice as much as the actual violin skills. We are told how to practice, how to schedule our practice, how to review the lessons, how to go through the drills, etc. This has been an invaluable learning.

This is referred to as the deliberate practice by most people. And it can be applied to learn many other skills. This knowledge of how to learn can greatly impact our career or even our personal lives.

What did I learn on deliberate practice?

• Repetition is key. More the repetition, more the perfection. In music for example, each exercise or a composition needs to be repeated many times. And this is the bare minimum
• Focus on the weak areas. If you practice the whole exercise a hundred times, then practice the weak areas twice or thrice as much. This will ensure that our skill gaps are plugged.
• Create your own drills. Do not depend completely on the text book exercises. Creating your own drills and practicing them will take you to the next level. This will take some time but completely worthwhile.

How am I using deliberate practice?

I am using it to learn public speaking, learn Spanish and French, prepare for technical certifications, learn dancing, etc. When it comes to learning new skills, sky is the limit. You can excel at work with the career skills and knowledge. You can wow your friends and family with art or linguistic skills. Overall quality of life gets enriched.