Some thoughts on ‘Musical Talent’…

Some thoughts on ‘Musical Talent’…

to use this phrase or not?

That is the question.

( a read for both piano teachers and parents )

It never fails to amuse me when the parent of a new student comes to me to say something along the lines ‘I think/ I don’t think my kid has a talent for music because…’ I have been a pianist all my life and still cannot tell exactly what having a talent for music is. So my usual answer is ‘If your child can speak, they have a sense of rhythm. And rhythm is the basis for music. So, let’s take it from there.’

Rhythm exists within us, inside our bodily functions, our organs, our body movements and our speech. It is not something external that we have to learn and apply on us. We only need to convert it to something external, be it a musical instrument, or our vocal chords (singing), our body (dancing) or our brain and psyche (composing).

Music has existed in our natural world long before man sang or created the first musical instrument. As we still live in this world, there is no reason to think that our children, these extraordinary new beings, do not have a talent for music!

Indeed, there are inclinations and environment plays a big role (hopefully, you do not listen to a single music genre in your house), but before judging for ourselves and concluding what skills our children have or don’t, we ought to at least try – especially if the child has expressed an interest – to give them the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, to join a choir or dancing classes. And to commit to it. All those benefits that we read as parents or know as teachers about what learning music does to children can only be obtained if we start a process with commitment. To achieve discipline, we must have discipline in our studying. To improve our concentration and focus we must study concentrated and focused.

The piano is the easiest instrument to start learning music for the first 2-3 years. Then it becomes challenging and gradually difficult. Therefore, it takes time to see if the child has those skills that label them as musically talented. And skills are a dynamic and a never ending process. Even if I thought a student of mine to be ‘talented’ at a given time, it is not guaranteed that they will always be so. A lot of hard work is needed to preserve and advance those skills, otherwise ‘talent’ shrinks. Talent can fade and rust. And how many times have we seen, as teachers, children that find it hard to stay still, or to concentrate for more than two minutes, and being indifferent. How often have we turned this around just by believing in them and changing our behaviour and the way we talk to them? How frequently do we inspire our students by giving them responsibility (participate in a concert, or accompany a beginner ) and see how they create a habit of studying frequently and concentrating just to reach that goal you entrusted them with? How unbelievable it is to watch that concert and see them is producing that music on the piano?

My advice to both teachers and parents is to be very careful when we talk to our students and children about skills and ‘talents.’ I try to avoid this word because it is devoid of the elements of the hard work, dedication, discipline and love we have for music and what it takes to be a musician.

No ‘talent’ is here to define us.

When asked why, at the age of 93, Pablo Casals continued to spend three hours a day practicing, he said:

‘I’m beginning to notice some improvement.’

by Anastasia Kaminskagia, 7.10.22