YOUTH WORSHIP TEAM
MASTERING SKILL IN THE NEW YEAR | Vance & Michelle Shepherd
The start of a new year is really a great time to reflect on the achievements of the prior year and make goals for the new year . With our students , it ’ s figuring out what they want to master or create a new skill set in , and then develop a game plan strategy for them . It ’ s about setting goals and working toward that goal in some way every day : small blocks of concentrated time spent on that skill that creates what ’ s called “ the compound effect .”
Doing this goal setting exercise with them at a young age will more than likely have them continuing to be goal minded and time-aware for the rest of their lives . Achievement in anything in life always begins with a set goal . John Beckley says it well : “ Most people do not plan to fail , they fail to plan .”
One of the questions we get always asked by our students is “ How long is it gonna take to get good ?” Well , that depends on what you define as “ good ”. There ’ s “ world class ”, “ very good ”, “ competent ”, and “ amateur ”. We all mean something different when we ask that question , but for this article , let ’ s go all the way and look at what it takes to become a “ master ”.
In 1987 , K . Anders Ericsson went to Berlin for two years to research the achievement of violinists . He wanted to study the standard of graduation performance with the number of hours practiced . The violinists were placed in the four categories discussed above . All of the violinists in the study began learning around the age of five and practiced about the same amount of time in the first three years . But after that , their practice time changed dramatically from student to student , and the results were amazing . The violinists who were considered “ world-class ” had practiced for at least ten thousand hours , “ excellent ” violinists practiced about eight thousand hours , “ competent ” violinists studied about five thousand hours , and good “ amateurs ” practiced approximately two thousand hours .
The study of the relationship between skill level and hours practiced was predictive , and what ’ s now commonly termed as the “ ten thousand hour rule ”.
Ericsson also found that the best musicians did a certain kind of focused practice which he calls “ deliberate practice ”, which is practice that is not really enjoyable , but more technical , and is measured by the progress the student makes . This makes the end of the effort very rewarding .
Excelling in any skill requires both short and long term goal setting . And these days , video games and social media are just epic time wasters ! Anywhere from two to five hours per day is a typical amount of time a student spends scrolling through Tik Tok and playing games . Wow ! It ’ s wise for us to take inventory of the time we have in every day , and where and how we spend that time . There ’ s an old saying “ Life is too short to do what I have to do ; it ’ s barely long enough to do what I want to do ”.
So think about your personal goals and desires . Ask yourself “ Is this something I really want to do ? Will I actually enjoy it , or will I dread spending time on it ?” Don ’ t do something because other people want you to do it . This just leads to burn out and frustration . Especially for young people . it ’ s easy to say yes just to please parents , teachers and friends . But stay true to what you desire to do , and the goals you personally want to achieve . We ’ ve seen this hundreds , if not thousands of times : if a student loves what they ’ re studying , they will spend extra time and will be self-motivated and achieve and even surpass their goals . If a student is only doing something to please other people , there is a lack of progress , no joy in the hours of preparation and practice , and many times can lead to depression and anxiety .
We have 8,760 hours in a year ( to be exact ), so let ’ s use as many of those doing something we ’ re passionate about ! By spending ten thousand hours of practice ( 2 hours per day , 5 days per week , 50 weeks per year for 20 years ) doing what you already love doing , you become a world class master ! Not only that , but an incredible inspiration for people along the way .
We should all consider setting aside time in every day to sharpen our skills for the glory of God so we can do the amazing ministry that He has made us for . Maybe you ’ re a teenager or young adult reading this article , and you ’ re in a place in life where you mostly manage your schedule outside of school . I want to encourage you to think about this new year , take inventory of the time you have in every day , and where and how you spend that time . Then think about your goals and desires . This year , could you commit at least one hour out of your day , taking steps to achieve your musical goals or other studies ? We find that it ’ s good to make it the same time slot in every day , either the first thing in the morning ( so it for sure gets done ), or the same time every afternoon . It doesn ’ t matter what time it is , just make it an everyday thing .
We wish you a successful , joy filled and inspired 2025 !
May you be blessed as you pour into or become the next generation of worship leaders and musicians !
Vance & Michelle Shepherd Founders of The Shepherd School of Music in Las Vegas , NV , where they work with youth to raise up the next generation of worship leaders and musicians . facebook . com / shepherdschoolofmusiclasvegas www . ShepherdStudiosLV . com
42 January 2025 Subscribe for Free ...