Why I Teach: We Practice to Win... Right?

So, let's say your parents encouraged you to practice when you first started playing the violin.

But what was your motivation to keep at it? Did you continue simply because you liked it? Or did winning ever play a part in your decision to keep going? I mean, it's sort of obvious that we practiced to get it in tune, to get it clean, to make it beautiful, and so on. And when we've achieved these things, which rarely if ever happens, do we then end up practicing for other reasons, like winning? For example, practicing to win a competition, or practicing to earn a scholarship to a prestigious music festival or conservatory, or practicing to win a position in a professional orchestra, or even a teaching position, or a place on a management roster.

I mean, are these really some of the reasons we spent all those hours in the practice room? Was this what it was all about? We practiced all that time just to win? Well, suppose we looked at it another way.

Could practicing to win in fact be a way to create a career path? That practicing with very clear wins in mind could shape an entire career trajectory? Could it even be considered a kind of career strategy? But does focusing solely on winning really prepare someone for the full reality of a career? By this I mean, what happens when the wins don't come? Does this winning approach help develop an artistic voice and long-term fulfillment? Or does it lead to a career that depends on external validation, which could bring on crushing reality should the direction of the win change? I think a career is ultimately built on relationships, continuous growth, resilience, and the need to share something meaningful with audiences.

With this in mind, one might argue that practicing to win is probably more suited to preparing for a series of hurdles than a race, not for building a sustainable career path.

Well, all of this helps clarify quite a few things, but what about the simple joy of making music? The joy that arrives when you perform the first Beethoven sonata you've ever learned? Or that sense of exhilaration when you play your Kabalevsky concerto with piano for a few friends and they applaud your effort? Couldn't these, shouldn't these be considered wins as well? Plato argues that the highest and most virtuous activities should be done for their own sake, not for external rewards like wealth, power, or praise.

I guess that gives us a lot of food for thought.

I mean, anyways, how many millions of dollars do you think you'll earn playing that concerto by Tchaikovsky? But is that really the reason you started learning it?

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