At the beginning of lessons, I almost always tell students to “just play.”

Sometimes I get met with resistance. After all, what if they have questions? What if they’re playing a new piece and they make a mistake?

But I feel like I’m doing students a disservice if I always give them all the answers upfront, or give them a pass just because something is hard or unfamiliar.

I often remind them I want them to be able to get along without me someday, and that that involves learning how to figure things out on their own and do their best.

Psychologists call this an “internal locus of control,” and I feel it’s an important thing to develop for success in music and in life.

The Mess Hall Challenge

In the book “Smarter, Faster, Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity” by Charles Duhigg, there’s a story about a group of Marine recruits tasked with cleaning their mess hall four weeks into their thirteen-week boot camp. The task was an exercise in developing self-reliance and problem-solving skills.

One day after lunch, the recruits were ordered to clean the boot camp mess hall without any instructions. They made mistakes—throwing away edible food, accidentally turning off the ice cream freezer, and misplacing utensils. Despite these errors, they completed the task, and even received praise afterwards for their efforts.

The reason for this exercise, and others like it, was to encourage the soldiers to begin to develop an internal locus of control. People with a strong internal locus of control believe they can influence their destiny through their own actions and decisions. This is contrasted with an external locus of control, where individuals feel that their lives are controlled by outside forces and chance.

General Charles C. Krulak revamped the Marine Corps’ training program to include tasks like these after observing that many new recruits lacked direction and drive, having spent their lives merely following instructions without ever taking initiative. By introducing tasks that required independent decision-making and by strategically praising recruits for overcoming personal challenges, the Marines aimed to instill a sense of agency and self-motivation.

A Personal Experience

One evening in 2015, I was music directing a theatre production and it came time to rehearse a particularly tricky trio. I knew this number would be challenging, and set aside half an hour for it on the schedule. Before the rehearsal, I prepared as thoroughly as I could, with specific ideas for cutoffs, tempos, and articulations. I gave the singers my notes in rehearsal and we ran through the number several times. But despite my detailed instructions, it just wasn’t coming together.

Finally, I told the three singers to rehearse on their own for a few minutes while I sat back and listened. That was when something interesting started to happen.

With no additional input from me, the three singers in the rehearsal began to take ownership of the music. They started experimenting, deciding how best to work on the “iffy” spots, and how many times to repeat things until they sounded right. The performance was stronger in the end because I let the performers make their own decisions about things like breathing, cutoffs, and tempo.

I realized then that sometimes leadership means not just giving instructions, but also stepping back and letting people figure things out for themselves.

Applying These Lessons

In my opinion, it’s never too early to start learning these skills.

In the beginning of their study, young children often ask innocent questions like, “What is my hand position?”

I’m usually reluctant to answer questions like these directly.

Instead, I’ll ask them a question in response such as, “Well, let’s figure it out. Can you tell me the name of the first right hand note and the first left hand note?”

It takes longer, but most students can usually arrive at the right answer with a little prompting. And more importantly, they learn that I’m not always going to give them all the answers.

Eventually, I’m hoping they’ll develop an internal locus of control and learn to look for the answers on their own.

Conclusions

If you come to work with me, you can rest assured that I won’t always give you all the answers.

What I will do, is do my best to give you the tools to find the answers yourself and help you learn to take ownership of your own continued development as a musician. This is the approach I believe will be most helpful in music and in life.

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If you’re ready to get started or take the next step on your musical journey, I’m here to help! Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to take your skills to the next level, I offer personalized piano lessons tailored to your individual goals and learning style. Reach out today, and let’s start making music together!