Emily F. TC chapter 4

Emily F. TC chapter 4 summary: There are three rules to having effective deep practice: chunking, repeating, and feeling. Chunking means that we break up what we're working on into pieces that we can then recognize as patterns, which helps us get faster, more efficient, and more effective at what we do. In this section, we need to absorb everything, then break it up into chunks, then slow it down or examine each individual component of what we're doing. In singing, this is a lot of things to slow down and examine! Repeating means that we need to practice (fire those circuits!) OFTEN. We should be practicing every day. Feeling means that we need to truly understand what our current ability is and be able to move just beyond it, and keep doing that. 

Key Concept: In order to have effective practice, we need to do it right. Spending time at something does not mean we get good at it. We need these elements in our practice: chunking, repeating, and feeling. 

Key Terms: chunk

Making Connections: I was thinking about my kids while I read this chapter. Leah, who was my youngest walker, did things differently than all my other babies. She was very unsatisfied with being in one place, and so she found ways to get around. When she began to crawl, she didn't like feeling the hard, cold tile under her knees, so she just worked on trying to stand all the time. She actively practiced walking as soon as she was able. This girl was my smallest baby, but began walking at least a month earlier than any of my other children. My daughter Maria taught herself to read before going to preschool. I used to think that she was just brilliant, but now that I look back I can see the effort and work that she put in. She was obsessed with books and words from the time she was an infant. She spent a lot of time watching a kids' reading TV show, and she really watched it. When her older siblings sat down to do reading homework, she sat down with them and intently focused on everything they did. Her practice was independently driven, but it was practice, not just spontaneous ability. In singing, there are so many components that we have to practice that we need to practice efficiently! Memorizing music is greatly increased by chunking. I have seen it happen in my practice, but I don't always use these steps in my practice. My biggest challenge is probably the "feeling" part. I can't tell what my current ability is, and I don't always stretch myself and feel that "out of tune" irritant that pushes me to be better.