A few years ago I began to notice a recurring problem with my students…their practice times just weren’t productive.
They were putting in the time. They were showing up…but things just weren’t getting done. They were unfocused. Scattered. Distracted.
As I talked to teachers, professors, players, and professionals in the music field I began to see that this wasn’t an isolated problem. It was widespread across every instrument. And it was affecting every student no matter their age or their chosen instrument. I even threw out a survey to see if it really was an issue…THOUSANDS of responses.
Here’s the thing…we’re living in a different world than the one from 20 years ago. The internet, smart phones, social media…the changes are coming at us faster than we can keep up with. The bigger issue is…our brains still work the same way. They are still just as susceptible to distractions, they still process information the same way, and they still have a limited amount of focus.
Let me just say…I’m not one of those “Technology is killing us!” people. My full time job is teaching online. I think it’s an incredible tool…if used correctly. If you add all of the new technology in with all of the regular “life” that we go through day in and day out, it’s a bit overwhelming.
I originally began this research to help myself and my own students. The more I studied, the deeper down the rabbit’s hole I went. I was fascinated by the things I was learning about how our brains work. I was blown away to see the progress that some individuals could make in a short amount of time if they approached their practice in the right way.
Here’s what I want you to know…experts in any field get there because they practice DIFFERENTLY than everyone else. They don’t possess more talent, they are not born pre-disposed to be better, they don’t learn quicker than you. They simply have tapped into how the brain works, how to stay in the learning zone, and how to systematically tackle big issues on smaller levels.
As you might know, I’m a drummer by trade. I run an online drum school and have thousands of awesome students around the world. Some are weekend warriors, some professionals, and some hobbyists. But all of them want to have productive practice times.
So a couple of years ago I taught a free hour long class called “Deliberate Practice for Daily Growth”. It was hands down the biggest response I’ve ever had to a lesson.
So I studied more.
I then developed a course for drummer’s that was focused on developing a consistent practice routine to help maintain focus and see results. I expected to see good results in the students working through the material…I had been using a lot of these techniques for years.
I never DREAMED it would take off like it did. Students were seeing the growth they wanted, some were even practicing less, and they were living an overall happier life in the process.
Then something REALLY funny happened…I started having other musicians take the course. Guitarists. Pianists. Songwriters.
Didn’t they know this was only for drummers?!?!
So I went back to the drawing board. I locked myself in my studio for over 2 months…studying, taking notes, developing curriculum, and filming new lessons. Hundreds of hours of research all poured into one killer course aimed at revolutionizing practice time (yes, I’m a little over the top about this topic…everyone is a nerd about something).
In short…this course was developed because of you. Because you asked for it. And it’s been proven by hundreds of musicians just like yourself that worked through the material, applied it, and saw improvements in their playing that they never dreamed of.
You will never know how much it makes my day to get an email or message from a musician letting me know that implementing the techniques in The Art of Practice changed their life for the better.
I hope it does the same for you.