We’ve all heard the adage “practice makes perfect,” but performer Dr. Annie Bosler and sports psychologist Don Greene offer an enlightening perspective on practice’s impact on the brain as well as some helpful strategies to get the most out of practice.
Practice and the Brain
For our bodies to move, our brains have to send messages along neural pathways. These pathways are composed of axons, threadlike parts of the nerve cell that conduct impulses from one cell to another. Whenever an action is repeated, (such as lifting a bow or pressing down a piano key) a substance called myelin begins to form around these pathways, and the more often an action is repeated, the more myelin accumulates. This accumulation of myelin insulates the axons so that the impulses are conducted with increasing efficiency, making the movement come more naturally with each repetition.
This buildup of myelin is a key component to developing almost any skill, but becoming a master of an instrument takes more than just practice. Achieving mastery requires the repetition of effective practice that “is consistent, intensely focused, and targets…weaknesses that lie at the edge of one's current abilities.”
4 Tips to Increase the Effectiveness of Your Practice
To increase the effectiveness of your practice, Bosler and Greene offer 4 strategies to help boost the effectiveness of your daily practice.
1. Stay focused and minimize distractions
In the age of smartphones and social media, our lives are full of distractions, but to practice more effectively, you need to keep technology out of the practice room. Avoid having laptops or tablets with you while you practice and put your phone on airplane mode so you don’t get distracted by notifications. This podcast episode offers some fascinating insight into this type of focus, which they call “Deep Work.”
2. Start slowly and increase speed gradually
Neural pathways form regardless of whether you use the proper technique or not, so get the most out of practicing by getting your technique right from the start. Doing the hard work of mastering your technique at a slow speed may try your patience, but in the end, your dedication will save you the time and frustration of trying to un-learn bad habits.
3. Practice more frequently in shorter increments rather than all at once
Getting in a number of effective repetitions is key to developing those essential neural pathways, but your brain still needs a break. Instead of trying to hammer out all your practicing at once, try breaking up your practice time into several shorter practice sessions throughout the day. This routine will give you time to recuperate so that you go into each session feeling fresh and ready to play.
4. Practice your pieces mentally (without your instrument)
According to a study cited by Bosler and Greene, a group of basketball players who mentally practiced taking free-throws improved at nearly the same rate as the group who physically practiced taking them. You heard that right. It is not only possible to practice without touching your instrument, but it is beneficial to do so!
For more fascinating information on how practice interacts with the brain, make sure to check out Dr. Bosler and Greene’s Ted Talk and seek out the advice of our master-instructors here!
- Jordan Koehlinger, Administrative Assistant and Music Instructor at Vibe Music Academy.
