Ben-Coyle-Ch1

 

The first chapter of “The Talent Code” introduces deep practice. We should practice, author Daniel Coyle says, at our “sweet spot,” which is the level at which we are prone to make mistakes and be able to correct them with focused effort. In this way, our practicing becomes much more effective than it otherwise would—that is, it becomes more effective than if we practice in a more comfortable place. Among the examples Coyle gives is the example of the Link trainer for pilots. With this trainer, pilots were able to practice flying with only instruments where it was safe to make mistakes. This allowed the pilots to critically analyze the root causes of the mistakes, practicing deeply. Coyle also points to the (now somewhat previous) success of the Brazilian soccer team, which success he attributes to deep practice.

I found this chapter to be quite agreeable. In my own experience, learning requires struggle. In the math courses I have taught, my observation is that those that perform the best on exams are those who have productively struggled to understand the material. Some students encounter no difficulties at the beginning of the class, being “talented” at math. However, these people tend to fall behind the peers who productively struggled at the beginning of the course. I think this principle applies quite well to learning to sing. When practicing, one option is to sing only what is comfortable. Many and varied can be the reasons for this—perhaps not the least of which reasons stem from the fear of others—and yet I find that I make more progress when I work slightly outside of my comfort zone. For my future voice students, it seems obviously needful to “hold their feet to the fire” by trying to keep them in the sweet spot of their abilities.