How Much You Learn

This afternoon, I was talking to my son about his music.

My son practices violin meticulously and takes his music seriously. However, despite his talent and skill, he is a reluctant performer. Although he enjoys practicing, he is not happy when he has to perform in front of an audience. Much as he may not acknowledge it, his discomfort stems from the pressure of playing before an audience and having to perform well.

My feedback to him was that he would learn faster and become a better musician if he performed in front of audiences instead of just practicing alone. He is forced to adapt and improvise in a live setting, particularly when he makes mistakes others can notice.

In contrast, he will not feel challenged to improve when he practices in a home setting that is secure and with no consequence.

My son was not very impressed with my feedback. ‘How can making mistakes in a live concert make me a better musician?’ he asked.

“Well, If you make mistakes, you will know what went wrong and why you made that mistake. You will then figure out how not to repeat that mistake. Similarly, you will see your audience responding to some sections of what you play and not responding to some other sections. So, you will learn to process the audience’s mood and adapt your playing to give the best experience to the audience, ” I responded enthusiastically.

“In any skill-based pursuit, you learn more from your mistakes than your regular practice. Mistakes are the feedback you require to learn, grow and become better !!” I said, making my final argument.

To cement my feedback, I shared this lovely image illustrating the power of learning from mistakes.