Happy Monday, practice pals!
Our Monday Motivation for this week is about ignition.
Ignition is a concept discussed heavily in Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code. He referred to it as the “2nd Element of The Talent Code,” meaning that after deep practice, an ignition event is a huge indicator of long term success.
So what is it?
Ignition is an often serendipitous event that sparks a desire to learn something new.
For Dr. Suzuki himself, his moment of ignition to learn the violin happened when he heard famed violinist Mischa Elman perform Ave Maria. He said:
“The sweetness of the sound of Elman’s violin utterly enthralled me. His velvety tone as he played the melody was like something in a dream. It made a tremendous impression on me….I brought a violin home … I tried to imitate him. I had no score, and simply moved the bow, trying to play what I heard.”
For me personally, my ignition moment happened when my elementary violin teacher helped me play Twinkle at an instrument try out event for orchestra recruitment. I still remember it – I very clearly thought “this is the coolest thing I will ever do.” The rest is history.
You’ve probably experienced your own ignition moment. That sudden wave of “whatever this is, I wanna do it.”
Ignition is special. It feels like magic. Coyle himself recognizes that ignition is what inspires the action required to develop a skill, but that ignition cannot be forced.
You can nudge it, though.
You can’t have ignition without exposure. So, create opportunities to expose your child to things. It obviously doesn’t have to be just violin – but that is my lane – so here are some suggestions:
- Catch a live performance. The CSO offers concerts for kids regularly and there are free concerts at Millennium Park in the summer.
- Come to group class. Seeing how other kids play is what Coyle calls a “primal cue.” If a student overhears a peer playing something really well, they are often inspired to work a little harder the next time they practice.
- Explore YouTube together. There’s access to tons of world class violin performance, both classical and contemporary. Here’s a playlist to explore.
- Don’t force it. Don’t hover. Let them be free to enjoy the experience and see what follows.
