Music lessons teach us so much about the people we want to be. And the people we want our kids to be.
Do we want to be the ones who stick to a routine every day? Developing that practice habit to become a fluent musician?
Or do we want to be the ones who procrastinate and quit?
Most of us prefer the former. But, over 80% of students fall into the latter category within the first few years of study.
It's because practicing is a habit. Just like exercise.
If it were easy, then everyone would be a musician and in shape.
And so, to thrive in music, one must learn to form good habits. And a little-known, underutilized tool for this is environment optimization.
It's a simple concept. If you want to create a good habit, change your environment to support that. If you want to break a bad habit, change your environment to make it impossible.
Let's say you want to stop eating junk food. If you get rid of all the junk food in your house, that just about guarantees you won't eat junk food. You've made it as inconvenient as possible to get it.
On the flip side, if you want to drink more water, then leave water bottles in various places throughout your house. Where they are easy to access and visible.
When it comes to music, put your violin or guitar in a safe place in the living room where you can't miss it. If you play the piano, put it in the middle of the house.
If the phone or computer end up being a distraction when you or your kids try to practice, put them in another room.
Will power is not enough to overcome bad habits and distractions. But with environment optimization, a world of possibilities await.
Give it a try today with something small. Come back and let us know what happens.