Salutations, friends! The musical journey should be more than just the music stuff. We don’t just learn chords, notes, scales, theory, songs, and so on. Lessons go beyond that. There’s another vital component we integrate into our lessons that goes beyond music—it's the development of executive functioning skills. Let’s delve into why these skills are crucial not only in music but in every beat of life.
Executive Functioning: The Conductor of the Cognitive Orchestra
Executive functioning skills are like the conductor of an orchestra. They help us plan, focus attention, remember instructions, initiate practice,and juggle multiple tasks successfully. Much like a conductor who waves the baton to ensure that every section of the orchestra is together, on time, and working as a team, these skills help us coordinate our cognitive abilities to perform at our best.
1. Plan & Organize: What’s going to happen after the lesson is over? We work on creating strategies and techniques to ensure that the strings are continuing to be plucked at home. Not only is the excitement of lessons going to make them want to practice music, but the desire to get better will help students develop task initiation skills.
2. Emotional Control: Music is a universal language of emotions and feelings. Through performance, we can express these emotions to our audience members, which, for me, is the coolest thing about music. It’s like being a sorcerer casting spells on people, the closest thing to getting attending Hogwarts. Not only are we able to express emotions, but we must master emotions within ourselves to master our arts. Music teaches us to channel our feelings productively and to perform under pressure. Managing adrenaline with stage fright or the frustration of a challenging piece is all part of strengthening emotional control. Are we able to combat the frustrations and conquer the difficult task ahead?
3. Flexible Thinking: Music often throws curveballs—Flexible thinking helps with our ability to perform with others, and to tackle bigger issues. In music, we might need to find fingerings that better suit a passage of music. We might need to alter chords to better fit melodies in our songwriting. A piece of equipment might give out, or string might break before a performance (been there!) No matter the case, the way we handle the situation and are flexibly minded is crucial.
5. Working Memory: Lyrics, passages, and riffs, oh my! Reading music is great to learn. We don’t want to really use the music during the performance if we can help it. It should be there as a guide, but your memory is going to tell you exactly what you need to do the get the job done, what notes you’ve rehearsed time and time again, or what lyrics you are singing.
6. Self-Monitoring: There is something to be said about self-awareness. Are we getting better? Are we improving at an acceptable rate? Are we doing better, worse, or the same than the week before. Being able to recognize one’s progress at anything is crucial for analysis. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.” -Will Durant.
7. Goal Directed Persistance and Time Management: The great thing about being a student of music is that there are performances! The goals are built in, in a way. One knows what one must do to get ready, and when one knows what to do, one can make a plan. Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals are essential to success. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Philosopher-Emperor and Stoic says, “stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centered , irritable. You see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life? If you can manage this, that’s all even the gods can ask of you.” Aimlessness will get you no where, and will leave you unsatisfied. Instead, creating SMART goals that give your practice purpose, and accomplishing those goals within a certain amount of time is essential.
From The Dojo to Daily Life: The Universal Rhythm of Executive Skills
At Garrett’s studio, The Dojo, we don’t just teach music; we foster life skills. The executive functions honed through musical training are felt in all aspects of our students' lives. That’s why they’re a cut above the rest. They become better organized, more proactive, emotionally intelligent, and adaptable individuals. These skills are critical not only in musical and academic settings but desired by professionals in the hiring process and are essential to entrepreneurship.
Join Us at The Dojo
Ready to start your journey in mastering both music and life’s essential skills? Dive into the experience at Garrett’s studio, where every lesson is a step towards becoming not just a musician but a maestro of your own life. Submit a form today to schedule a trial lesson and see how far you can go with the right notes and the right mindset.
