Habit in the Learning Process
Habits are not an ‘untied bundle’ of isolated acts. They interact with one another and together make up an integrated whole. Whether or not a particular habit is manifest, it is always operative and contributes to character and personality.[1]
(Frank Pierce Jones)
Babies learn fast
As babies we learn about interactions with things and people, without instruction. We experiment and repeat anything that is fun or satisfying. In those early days, there is no formal instruction but we are constantly learning. How much are we affected by our family and friends? Do we learn breathing patterns from our parents? How many of our inherited characteristics are ‘genetic’ and how many copied patterns of response? How often do we see or hear mannerisms of the parent or grandparent in the child or grandchild? We learn how to speak our first language from our parents and we tend to have their way of speaking and using language.
Children learn easily
When we look at the way children develop in their first few years we notice that learning is impressively rapid and apparently easy. If a parent has to be away from their child for a few days, they will notice a big change when they return. New activities are learnt and the way of doing them changes easily as they develop their skill and coordination, they don’t seem to get stuck in ‘habit’. Young children are happy to get things wrong and find it easy to have another go with no idea of negativity. When you see a child experimenting with walking, they keep on having another go and usually look very happy while they are doing it. As we get older and experience judgemental pressure to get things right (possibly at school) the rate of learning seems to slow down. Maybe, being happy to get things ‘wrong’ is a path to rapid learning.
I feel it in a changed attitude toward failure which doesn’t feel like a setback or the writing on the wall, but like a path forward.[2]
As children we learn easily
Non-judgemental support encourages easy learning
A definition of habit
A habit is a pattern of behaviour that has been developed in the past, often consciously, which tends to get repeated automatically in similar circumstances, more or less subconsciously. It is possible to bring most habits into the conscious realm to have a look at them. It can be difficult or very difficult to change habits and more difficult if we don’t really want to change, but it is possible to change habits.
Habits feel good
Alexander referred to the way someone uses their mind and body as their Use.
The way we use our mind and body affects the way they function, both now and, because of the power of habit, in the future. We need to be aware of the strength of habit as well as its potential usefulness. If we accept, as Alexander discovered, that our sensory feedback is not necessarily reliable (what he called ‘Faulty Sensory Awareness’), we can appreciate that some of our habits may not be as good as they feel, they may even be seriously damaging, e.g. smoking. There is something secure about familiarity and most of us search for familiar feelings of security; if that secure feeling comes from a negative pattern, we will have trouble recognising and changing it. We have probably all tried to change habits and know how hard that can be, e.g. changing the way we hold our instrument or the way we stand or sit on a chair.
Free will
Maybe free will starts at the ‘light-bulb moment’ when we first realise we are having a chance to choose one course of action over, another in our life. This is when we start developing our capacity to inhibit an automatic or impulsive approach to life. Maybe, as a child, we experienced the possibility of eating a treat now or saving it until later. We can then develop our experience of choice, whenever we are prepared to acknowledge to ourselves that we don’t have to do what ‘we feel like doing’ impulsively; or indeed, what we imagine ‘we should do’. That knowledge is precious knowledge indeed.
Habits are usually subconscious
Habits feel familiar and reassuring
Our feelings can be unreliable
Free will involves conscious choice
Habit and skill
The link between habit and skill is a very close one. When learning a new skill, e.g. playing a musical instrument, riding a bike, speaking a foreign language we develop patterns of behaviour that are apparently ‘the right ones’ - we are successfully playing, riding or speaking! We may have a teacher who is telling us that we are doing well and encouraging us to continue. The consciously learnt element of the skill becomes second nature and we think less and less about the various new elements of the skill and there we are; we have a collection of habits that we can describe as a new skill.
If we are learning a new language; in an ideal linguistic world we have learnt nothing but the correct words with an authentic style of delivery that makes it possible to communicate brilliantly in our chosen new language. Most likely, however, we have some less than perfect habits in the new language that could stay there for years. Getting by successfully in the language might limit improvement; it depends on our motivation. This is the same for riding the bicycle and playing the musical instrument. Our attitude to improving a skill that is already ‘well developed and useful’ could be seen as part of our ‘character’. Is our character a collection of patterns of behaviour that we have developed in the past and tend to repeat automatically in similar circumstances? If it is, we are back with habit.
If we are not constantly reviewing how we are doing what we are doing while we are doing it, we will not continue to refine of our skills. Musicians are involved in skills that can be infinitely refined. We can continuously develop the Use of the mind and body and expand our field of attention to improve our playing, our interaction with our colleagues and our communication with the audience.
Essential Habits
It seems that developing habits is a vital part of developing as a human. We need to have thousands of automatic responses that can deal with most of our everyday lives.
The risk is that we only respond on that automatic level and get stuck in the way we do things, we become predictable or a stereotypical character. We limit ourselves when we get stuck like this. We might hear someone say, “That’s the way I do it” or “I am always anxious before concerts.”
Alexander noticed that it was not just his coordination that was stuck in a habit - his attitude of mind towards what he was doing was stuck too. His genius allowed him to realise this. He saw he needed to work on both at the same time. This is how he arrived at his realisation of ‘psycho-physical unity’.
A few questions
· Do you have a habit of repeating passages when you practise them? If you do repeat them, do you really consider why you are doing that?
· Do you have a habit of mental chatter, while you are practising?
· Do you have a habit of rushing to unpack your instrument and start playing as soon as possible?
· Is it your habit to set short-term goals and ignore your long-term development?
· Is your habit an obsession with the results rather than the way to achieve the results?
· Is your habit to screen out your body’s feedback?
· Is your habit to feel competitive?
· Do you have a habit of noticing other people’s negative habits?
· Is your habit to notice the negative things about your playing rather than the positive things?
· Do you have a habit of thinking that getting things wrong is a failure, rather than a path of learning?
· Is your habit to enjoy your playing?
The trick seems to be to review our habits and check that we want to recommit to them, as ‘the best we can come up with in the present circumstances’, if not, we need to try something new! This opens the door to constantly developing our language, piano playing or safe cycling, throughout our life.
Deeper learning
Alexander’s approach to learning is psychophysical. Are you aware of your body when you are learning music or are you just learning in your mind? Are you aware of your vision and your breathing? Are you aware of your balance? It is possible to play a musical instrument more or less subconsciously, deep in habit. That lack of awareness of what you are Doing slows down the learning process.
It is easy to be very committed to learning a musical instrument, so much so that we can ignore messages from our body about comfort and coordination. That leaves us at the mercy of our habits. If you are so set on playing the notes that you ignore discomfort or pain, you are not doing yourself a favour. In fact, you will play your instrument better if you listen to your body’s responses to how you are doing what you are doing. A comfortable wide-awake body is being used well and it will learn music more easily. We benefit from the feedback from our senses while we are playing. The more awake we are the more feedback we get.
Emotional responses
Our emotional response to the music is a vital part of learning how to play it. The reason that most music exists is to communicate its emotional content. From the start of learning a new piece, we can include musical/emotional responses. We might have to remember that the emotional or musical content of the piece is expressed through necessary playing movements. Our musicality and our movements can become habitual, however our thinking and awareness can keep us spontaneous.
It is good to notice if we have a physical habit to go with a certain type of playing, e.g. when we are playing pianissimo, we might have a mannerism to show that we are playing pianissimo.
We can get stuck in habitual emotional responses to music as much as we can in our daily lives. Some people have the habit of putting themselves under a lot of pressure to ‘get everything right’, all of the time. Alexander considered the emotional self as part of the psychophysical whole.
We can also get stuck in a particular musical style. An understanding of style helps us to play music from different centuries or countries differently but that is not the end of the story, we still need flexible emotional responses, whatever the style.
It is interesting to consider if we have any choice in our musical responses. Some musicians sound the same whatever they are playing. Do we play according to our habitual emotional responses to music, or can we be flexible? We can find choice, and so spontaneity, if we are aware of other possibilities. It is very useful to discuss and share musical ideas with other musicians, to test and expand our musical options. Playing with inspiring musicians expands our musical possibilities if we are truly present while we are playing. Openness in our mind, body and emotional self will make every musical interaction a potential learning experience.
· There is a strong link between habit and skill
· Our emotional and musical responses can be habitual
· If we are aware of the power of habit we become more flexible
Work on one or two habits at a time
The Alexander Technique is concerned with looking into how we do what we do while we are doing it. We identify habits and make reasoned assessments of them. When we find habits that need our attention, it is best to have one or two that are our priority for the present. That way the burden of the challenge is reasonable. If we try to change too many habits at the same time we can lose heart as our brain overheats.
Don’t be too tough on yourself
Don’t beat yourself up about your negative habits. You have often developed them for a reason; even if you have decided something is not good now it might well have been a good idea at the time. Self-acceptance is an important part of self-development. Being able to stand back and observe what is going on will be easier if you make your observations with compassion. Alexander noticed that negative habits often involve trying too hard to get results, which is another way of being tough on yourself! The technique creates a framework for recognising and then reducing or avoiding that ‘trying too hard’.
Finding habits using semi-supine
If we lie down in semi-supine, we often notice pockets of tension in parts of our body. We can enlist the help of gravity and think Directions to release the extra tensions. If we lie down the following day and find the same tensions, we can decide to work out how and when we create the patterns. When we leave semi-supine, it is a rich opportunity to notice the negative patterns as they try to re-establish themselves. Well-constructed Directions designed to contradict the habits work powerfully in our favour.
Using video
We can make use of modern technology to help in the search for our negative habits. If you have a smart phone, you can probably video your practice. The practice continues as you watch the play back. Reflexions in mirrors or shop windows can give moments of insight too. It is good to take ‘recognition of habit’ into everyday life.
We bring our daily Use into our playing
You cannot expect to use yourself one way in daily life and another way when you play your instrument. If you try to ‘put your posture right’ for playing, you will have limited success. If we develop expanding, reflex, balanced Use in everyday activities, it will be there for our playing as well. The way that you stand or sit when you are not playing informs the way you stand or sit when you are; that is the power of habit!
Habit is part of being human.
Instrumental technique is a collection of habits
Habits are necessary
Habits can get in the way of our development
We can use video to see and hear our habits
Awareness of the power of habit will facilitate clear thinking
Inhibition of habit makes it possible to be flexible and spontaneous
RCM Quotes
During an observation lesson last term, in which I played the piano, it was pointed out to me that I have a tendency to pull in my lower spine when I play. To address this habitual response I began to realise other times in my day when exactly the same response would occur; washing the dishes, lifting something heavy, talking to someone who intimidated me - in all of these situations I noticed myself going through the same pattern of responses - this had become my very own personalised startle pattern. (Susanna MacRae, pianist)
For a singer perhaps more than for instrumentalists, the body is the instrument, and regardless of all the goodwill and practice in the world, distortions in the body will ultimately lead to distortions in the voice. Practice, in fact, can be a fairly counteractive measure, if all we are doing is reinforcing a faulty habit over and over again. (Phoebe Haynes, singer)
[1] Jones, F P, Freedom to Change, Mouritz, 2003, p.100
[2] Coyle, Daniel, The Talent Code, Arrow Books, New York, 2010, p.217