When people think about becoming a good musician, they often think about how talented they have to be. They imagine that some children are simply born musical, while others aren’t. After nearly 30 years of teaching musicians of all ages, I’ve learned something very different.
The students who make the greatest progress aren’t always the most naturally gifted. They’re the ones who keep coming back to learning music and growing.
This idea connects closely with my first music education principle: helping students discover something they love enough to keep coming back.
The challenges of learning music
Learning an instrument is full of challenges. There are wrong notes, difficult rhythms, moments when progress feels painfully slow, and days when practising is the last thing you feel like doing. Every musician experiences these moments, whether they’re eight years old or eighty.
When we normalise that those feelings will exist in any long term pursuit we undertake, we can then start to look for ways to be successful.
Persistent describes something that continues for a long time or refuses to stop, especially in the face of difficulty, opposition, or annoyance
Persistence isn’t about never feeling frustrated or annoyed. It’s about choosing to continue, even when learning feels difficult.
One of the greatest gifts music can give us isn’t perfect technique or outstanding performances. It’s the quiet confidence that comes from discovering that effort leads to progress. Every time we work through a challenge, we’re learning far more than how to play an instrument. We’re learning resilience, patience, and the belief that we can improve through consistent effort. This spills into shaping our courage and bravery for life.
What I’ve noticed over the years as a teacher is that persistence doesn’t really grow through pressure. It grows when people experience enough enjoyment, encouragement, and small successes that they want to come back tomorrow. That’s why I believe our goal shouldn’t simply be to create better musicians. It should be to help people build a lifelong healthy relationship with music.
Putting Persistence into Practice
Whether you’re supporting a child or learning an instrument yourself, there are simple ways to help develop persistence.
Bring the Positivity to the experience
If you’re a parent of a young aspiring musician then please praise effort as much as achievement.
There will be days when your child comes home tired, hot and grumpy from a busy day of learning and they don’t feel motivated to practice. Yet, they get up and work on a section of their music for ten minutes and their mood lightens and they feel happy with their session. That persistence and self-discipline to turn up for themselves and a hobby that they want to get better at is a demonstration of your child’s inner strength.
So as a parent or an adult learner, be careful not to focus on the amount of time that is spent at the instrument. Consistency is more important. Praise the effort and persistence.
Another trap to watch for is to not focus only on the finished performance, but to celebrate the determination it took to master a difficult passage or to practise regularly throughout the week or over a longer period of time.
As we progress on our instrument, the musical challenges become significantly more complex and time consuming. The progress is always happening but not at an obvious speed like in the early days when your child was wizzing through the beginner pieces. Children begin to value the behaviours we notice which is why celebrating persistence is key.
If you’re an adult learner, remember that progress isn’t a straight line. Some weeks you’ll feel like you’re improving quickly, while others may feel frustratingly slow. Real life can get in the way and on those weeks you have to be kind to yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Compare yourself with the musician you were a month ago.
Creating realistic goals
For everyone learning music, keep your goals each session small and achievable. A short, focused practice session is often more valuable than waiting for the perfect time or enough motivation. Celebrate the little victories—a clearer tone, a smoother scale, or finally playing a piece with confidence. Those small moments build into something remarkable over time.
A good teacher helps students recognise these small moments of progress and turn them into confidence.
Have you put your practice sessions into your weekly schedule? Because often that lack of routine will impact motivation to practice.
There is always a time slot that can be found to practice and we have to be just honest when that is. For most people it is definitely not at 9pm after a full day of school, work and everyday life. But 7.30am maybe a better time!
If you’re looking for more practical advice about developing good practice habits, you might enjoy my article on how often a middle school band student should practise
How do I know persistence works?
I know that persistence works as I have seen it daily in my nearly 30 year teaching career. The students who achieved the most weren’t usually the ones who found music easiest. They were the ones who kept coming back after the difficult lessons, the disappointing rehearsals, unsuccessful performances, and the weeks when progress felt painfully slow.
Every musician has days when nothing seems to go right. The notes don’t speak, the fingers don’t cooperate, and the piece that sounded good last week suddenly feels impossible. Those moments can feel discouraging, but they’re also where some of the most valuable learning happens. Every time we choose to try again, we’re developing a skill that reaches far beyond music.
Persistence isn’t knowing all the answers. It’s having the faith in yourself that over time you will find the solution and keep growing. I have seen that countless times in private lessons, the classroom, my ensembles and from seeing the beginner musician go through their school life and head off to university for their next musical adventure.
I have seen that same persistence in my own career. The desire to learn, grow and be a better teacher. To offer better music experiences for my students and to create departments that were a safe place to be yourself and find the courage to explore who that was.
You can read more about my journey as a music educator and why I believe music has such an important role in people’s lives. My journey as an educator.
So in conclusion:
If you’re supporting a young musician
- Praise effort and persistence rather than perfection.
- Build a regular practice routine.
- Celebrate all the small improvements.
- Keep music enjoyable alongside structured learning.
If you’re learning as an adult
- Accept that progress isn’t linear.
- Compare yourself only with yesterday’s version of yourself. Never to anyone else.
- Make practice part of your routine rather than waiting until you “feel motivated.” Motivation doesn’t exist. Action does.
- Remember why you started learning in the first place. Often it is as an enjoyable past-time and to bring joy to your life so keep this as a central focus for your practice.
And finally, persistence isn’t about being the most talented person in the room. It’s about becoming the person who keeps showing up.
Because when we discover something we love enough to return to, again and again, we don’t just become better musicians. We become more confident learners, both in music and in life.