The Necessity of Goal-Setting to enhance Motivation & Attention

In the last post I wrote about the vital role emotion & desire plays in helping the music learner's attention. In this short article I will focus on how goal-setting relates to motivation & attention.

Before I got serious about learning piano, I didn't have a Why, a reason to wake up and practice piano for. I was told I needed to do it to pass the next graded exam. As a kid I went through the motions of mindless repetitions just to satisfy my grandma's demand of an hour practice everyday, so that I could run back into the true pleasure of playing in a fantasy world in my room. If only I understood how to set goals for myself, not to fulfil the demand of teacher or my family, but only because I Chose them. I would be a much more skilled pianist today. How many hours were wasted in ineffective and amateurish playing, now that I am in my 30s, I want to go back to my younger immature self and smack myself in the face.

In Steven Pressfield's infamous book for creative artists - 'Turning Pro', he dubbed the distracted, wandering, aimless state of the amateur as Resistance: 'Each day, the professional understands, he will wake up facing the same demons, the same Resistance, the same self-sabotage, the same tendencies to shadow activities and amateurism that he has always faced.' We all started our journey as an amateur, but we must have the intention to turn Pro, in whatever we choose to do. It is a decision. When we turn pro, we leave our amateur ways behind and announce, if only within ourselves, that we have earned our battle scars and learned from our wayward ways to brand ourselves as professionals.

Before the transformation to the Pro's Mindset, the music learner needs to learn how to focus his mind on the target, like a skilled archer. So that no amount of energy is wasted, every movement of fingers are coordinated to an end result in the mind: a clear musical sound he wants to produce. As the mind controls the body, fingers & listening. Without sufficient focus of the mind, everything played would become just an accident, the result would be 'missing the mark', which translates to missing the right keys in piano and bad music.

One of the best techniques shown to sustain motivation and keep attention is goal-setting, the act of listing one or several clear goals that the student wishes to reach. Goal-setting has been shown in the short run to stimulate motivation and in the long run to actually increase achievement. Goal-setting works by making concrete vague notions of achievement. It promotes focus, enhance self-regulation by increasing impulse control, and more efficient use of time. These benefits promote positive feelings, in turn feeding more motivation.

Who is the goal-setter? Given the high degree of independence needed in mastering an instrument, the goal-setter must be the piano student himself, not his teacher, parents, or peers. Self-motivation is the most effective type of motivation. We all master our own destiny. Get ready for persistence, push against resistance and be prepared to fail big, and keep trying.

Goals must be valued and specific. Aspirations that are not one's own are destined to fail. Parents' wishes or dreams can sabotage the motivation and mental health of the learner who takes on someone else's vision. As Mozart demonstrated, step out of the father's shadow. Be a rebel and keep believing & creating his own destiny: composing music. There would be no legacy of Mozart if he followed his father's directions and stay safe & comfortable as a court musician.

Goals that are specific, eg. I aim to develop an effective fingering & natural movement, are more likely to be attained than goals that are vague eg. I want to become a better musician. Write down the goals and share with the teacher so they become more real than a thought in the mind.

Goals must be realistic and realizable. Don't bite off more than you can chew, stay on the line between challenge and achievable.

Set short-term and long-term goals. Psychologist Jordan Peterson shared a bible lesson about 'Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Matthew 6:34. In his lecture he stated it is a wise idea to fix your eyes on the present (today's goal), while having a vision of a long-term goal. So that each step in the present is moving towards forming the bigger picture in the future.

The music teacher can work together with the student to get a clear idea of their learning goals. Helping them set a plan and practice schedule. What I learned in life coaching such as setting SMART Goals, overcoming limiting beliefs, understanding values of each client and what drives them.. also applies to piano lesson, as I believe Music is Life, and the language of Music is the highest philosophy.

Music Coaching is essentially a form of Life Coaching. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing students succeed in achieving their own goals which they learned to set independently. These skills and experience of overcoming musical challenges will set up a tremendous advantage for youth to tackle future real-world challenges.