Tougas-Coyle-Ch3-4

 In chapter three we overview the contrast between pure talent and deep practice, or as Coyle references, nature versus nurture. We do a deep dive first accrediting the Brontë sisters’ success to carefully constructed firing circuits of myelin linked together in an almost cause and effect algorithm to create the time-surpassing literature we study and love. This made me consider if our myelin is linked? In other words, is one strand of myelin connected to another, to another, and to one more, to create a myelin-map of success in the brain? This then is why we are able to create and recreate not only certain placement, but breathe, character analysis, facial expression, clarity, and much more to come together for a particular song. 

As Coyle continues, we see that essentially, this is exactly what we are doing as we are learning. He describes through almost a Darwinist perspective that our myelin cells fire only that which used most often to optimize our myelin production and it does this through a circuit format. It would put you in mind of a string of lightbulbs- as one clicks on, they all come on together. I love this because it makes practicing and certainly performing a whole lot easier. I have always thought of it as a never-ending list of to-dos: back straight, chin up yet slightly down, mouth rounded here, yet open and lifted there, here we are sad and suddenly we are excited, wait now, what is my breathing doing? However, if we take this firing circuit, this sweet-spot, we can remember perhaps one or two specific motions or placements and that sets of the rest if we deep-practice it enough painstakingly slow. 

This takes us to chapter four. Here Coyle focuses on deep practice and the three rules that govern it: 1. Chunk it. 2. Repeat it. 3. Learn to Feel it. What really caught my eye here was Rule 1: Chunking. He describes the Russian players who whether they are 5 or 35 years old, swing with no ball. I thought about a saying one of my vocal teachers from middle school and high school used to say to me, “Don’t even mouth the words to songs on the radio with incorrect placement- its bad practice.” I remember thinking, “That’s a bit extreme don’t you think?” But I can see how right she was. Does this mean we should never have fun? No, of course not. But unlike business majors, we carry our practice with us everywhere and in everything we do. We essentially are creating myelin circuits all day, every day, all the time. The more we allow bad habits to form, even if its just for fun, the more they will show up in our practice, in our rehearsal, and especially in our performance because it is what we have allowed our myelin to shape. 

Personally, I want to start taking into account what little habits turn into my big performances and how I can better control when, where, and how my myelin is used, Chunking is what starts this process of not only using but UTILIZING your myelin. It helps us break bad habits to create the space to build new ones. This then converts into steps two and three of deep practice so that we may simply feel it through these myelin circuits.