Radical vs. Incremental Growth By Hal Galper Jazz Educators Journal March 1995
Many students of an intermediate to advanced level have been struggling with the challange of being jazz improvisors for some time. They and their teachers may be frustrated with incremental growth: improvement in performance levels that takes many years of applied effort to "internalize. The subjects under study are generally intellectual and "informational" in nature: the instrument, mechanical techniques, the external processes of theory, interpreting notation, repertoire, and more. Radical growth is also necessary: improvement that is rapid and "sweeping' in nature. The areas under study are in the realm of states-of-mind ("attitude") and are internal in nature.
The techniques for improvement I describe in this article are based on the latest scientific information available about the nervous system, group and individual psychology, behaviorism, neural linguistic programming, psycho-acoustics and anecdotal consensus. They have been proven by their successful application in practice. Both students and teachers can benefit from a clearer understanding of these principles and their applications. I do not intend to de-emphasize incremental work that is an integral part of the learning process; rather, I wish to make a distinction in those areas of the learning process where this radical approach can be applied.
TARGETING RADICAL GROWTH One achieves radical growth through behavioral analysis and modification: once you have identified inappropriate behaviors, you correct the related inappropriate attitudes, conceptions, and perceptions about learning and performing. At this intermediate to advanced level, it is assumed that no one is hurting a student's performance but the student. The teacher's function is to get that student "out of the way" of him or herself. By supporting a students belief system-the assumption that most learning and playing problems are not external but internal in nature-teachers can effect sweeping, radical change in their students. The "what" of things (information) becomes less the focus than the "how" of things (attitude). As mentioned in my previous article, "Stagefright and Relaxation" (IAJE Journal, Fall 1989), this behaviorist theory holds that "'attitude precedes action,' ... all actions are expressions of attitudes; and in order to change one's behavior, one must first change one's attitude."
Students' problems are generally universal. When a teacher recognizes some source of a student's difficulties as fairly common, the student is apt to state, "I felt that was the cuase but couldn't put it into words." This suggests that most students have feelings about their playing problems that they recognize on a sense level but cannot identify. They hold a negative self-image that they are "mere students" and don't give themselves credit for knowing what is right or wrong with their playing! Suffering from this lack of self-confidence, they second-guess their own opinions. Yet when a teacher correctly verbalizes these intuitive feelings for them, this "rings true" with the student and has a permanent impact on a learned experience.
According to current scientific theory, one acquires a learned experience when a physical change has occurred within the brain: the creation of a new connection ("dendrite") between neural pathways. Thus permanently and physically altered, the student departs from the learning environment not the same person he or she was upon entering! An experience learned in this way immediately alters behavior and is never forgotten. Again, this result can be achieved by accurate analysis of a students' state of mind.
ANALYZING BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDE If one accepts the above-mentioned behaviorist theory, then a student's behavior has a direct, one-to-one relationship with what is going on in his or her mind. A teacher can thus learn to listen to a student, analyse their musical behavior, and work backwards from that analysis to a profound understanding of the student's inappropriate mental attitude and behavior. There is no hiding-everything is observable. The teacher can then make suggestions that will alter behavior positively.
Space limitations preclude a complete listing here of problem analysis and solutions; however, a varied sample will suffice to demonstrate the process.
PROBLEM: The student has trouble practicing.
Analysis: Analyze the students attitude toward practicing. Quite often, child-like student attitudes-mindless repetition, linear thinking, and/or an authoritarian teacher-student relationship-are unknowingly carried over into adult practicing. While perhaps appropriate for the earlier time, such approaches become inappropriate for adult practicing and are non-productive. For example, an internalized image of an authority figure based on early teachers may lead a student to rebel against that image, causing difficulty in adhering to a practice format. Then, feeling constrained, bored, and guilty for not practicing as recommended, he or she may suffer from low self-esteem and adopt negative attitudes toward practicing. Any person's negative attitude toward self and music is non-productive: the teacher must examine the cause and turn the attitude around to the positive.
Solution: Make such students aware of their internalized attitudes; encourage them to realize that the authority figure is outmoded and no longer exists. Have them verbalize what they perceive as their problems. Make them understand they are now their own authority figures: they are in conrol of what and when to practice. Suggest that they know their problems better than anyone else and are in the best position to tailor their practicing to their own needs, creating their own solutions. Students can then substitute their own motivation and intuitive sense of what they need to work on in place of boring and constraining practice regimens. By changing students' motivation for practicing from being disciplined-based to to interest-based, they will help them grow musically in all other areas as well. The operative philosophy should be "Practice only what you like!"
This is not to suggest that they should repeat already-accomplished subjects they enjoy playing. Focus on subjects chosen by taste, intuition, and self-interest. As tastes change and grow from year to year, so will the subjects selected by the student, mitigating any concerns the teacher may have regarding being thorough. Practicing is not a matter of imposing one's "will" over the instrument or music but one of solving the mystery of "how and what do I want to play." Practicing in this manner becomes more an exciting process of self-discovery than one of discipline.
Encourage a creative, non-linear, non-goal-oriented approach toward practicing-along with the caution that one should never practice when bored. Only concentrated practice achieves results!
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