Learning from National Music Associations: Never Stop Growing

Esther A. Lanting

“Although the experience of being wrong is a universal human experience, it is frequently viewed with shame and embarrassment. ‘Being wrong, like grieving or falling in love, is fundamentally an emotional experience.’”   --Virginia Wayman Davis

“Never Stop Growing” by Asher Ian Armstrong was the featured article in August/September 2024 American Music Teachers, the National Music Teachers Association periodical. In referencing the quote above, Armstrong says that while these emotional experiences are universal, the shame he felt growing up learning music, motivated him to work harder and achieve positive recognition. However, while the outcome may sound positive, it is in fact, guided by shame. He wondered if the way we learn and treat ourselves may be healthier, more productive and long-lived when we are able to do it without the stressful and negative reactions to shame, by recognizing and accepting the “process” rather than the end “product.” 

That wondering led him to ask how musicians can take on a “growth mindset” rather than a “fixed mindset". A fixed mindset is the belief that your qualities and intelligence are set in stone and cannot change or develop. A growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities can be developed through your efforts and that everyone can change and grow through application and experience. Quoting Sarah Morrison from Canadian Music Education, Armstrong agrees that, “People with a growth mindset tend to take risks in order to learn new skills and are more likely to persevere when faced with challenges in their learning journeys”. 

How do we cultivate a growth mindset? Armstrong suggests three crucial ways in which to do this.

1. Teaching and Language: While learning/playing a particularly hard passage, do we respond by thinking or saying “that was awful,” which reinforces a fixed mindset, or can we learn to say “that could be better,” which reinforces a growth mindset. We reframe the negative by emphasizing the positive without dismissing the shortcomings. This self-talk is more than just saying words because over time, these words form how we think and respond. Armstrong suggests two ideas to help with this reframing. 

   1. No-Shame Zone, Centering the Process. Commit to making our practice, lesson, or teaching space a shame free area. Remind yourself that this is a process. Put a sticky note on your stand saying “No shame; this is a process” as a reminder. I am particularly aware of and grateful for this “no shame/process” method when I was a student of Anthony Galla-Rini. He was a demanding teacher, but when I had shortcomings (which was every lesson), he was never demeaning. Rather than saying “you must not have practiced that section,” he instead gave me ideas and tips for how to play it more accurately and cleaner with a finger adjustment, or more melodic through a bellows adjustment, etc.

   2. Desirable Difficulty. Push yourself slightly past your comfort zone when selecting new repertoire. Armstrong is not suggesting, for example, that if you are in Level 3, you pick a selection out of Level 10 for your next piece of music. It can be a challenge to know what might be a slight, challenging push rather than a gigantic leap. Ask a friend in the accordion world who is more knowledgeable than you for advice. A slight, challenging push reminds us that this is growth process.

2. Adjudication: Complimenting and Constructive Criticism. Have someone who is a well-established teacher listen and critique your play. If they are good at adjudicating, they will listen with an observant and caring ear, affirming what you’ve done well, giving you helpful suggestions, and reminding you that learning music is a work in progress. Everyone who attends the ATG Festival has an opportunity to sign up for this sort of experience. You are by yourself in a room with an adjudicator who will do their best to affirm what is strong and give ideas for growth in other places. It is a helpful growth tool at our access. It is not too late to sign up. Here is a link to have such an evaluation. Click on “Competition Categories” then scroll down to the bottom of the 3rd page, where you will see an “Evaluation Category.” https://www.atgaccordions.com/competitions  

3. Personal Growth. Here Armstrong is talking about a growth mindset in our personal life. Continue to “back out” of yourself so you can ask and look objectively at your self-talk, your actual practice routine, your openness to being adjudicated, and even asking yourself if you have a growth or a fixed mindset. He concludes that the importance of personal and professional development is hard to overestimate in a personal growth mindset. It means playing and learning music, especially a piece one finds challenging or even off-putting; engaging with other musicians, attending conferences (like the ATG Festival); remaining receptive to new ideas, new curriculum, new approaches. “Once we stop learning, we stop growing.” 

Let’s all keep growing.