Is talent inherited?
A few weeks ago I was chatting to a friend of mine about music education. We both have young children, and were discussing the role of music as an important part in their overall development and upbringing. Then my friend asked, “How is it that your kids can sing so well in tune? They must have been born with natural musical talent!”
Whenever I talk to anyone about “natural talent”, I’m reminded of how prevalent the idea is throughout our society. Not only is it found in music, but also in education, sports, business, and countless other areas. The traditional idea of the “born performer” is one that has been around for centuries, and is filled with the hope and promise that you or your kids have managed to hit the genetic lottery, and will be able to “make it big” in the music world.
Whilst I am a believer that everyone has perhaps a mustard seed’s worth of talent when they were born, the scientific evidence clearly points towards many other factors at play for someone to become “talented” at whatever skill or profession they choose. Yes, there are some people that can pick up an instrument and immediately make a decent sound, or can learn things quite quickly and easily to start with. Yet this type of initial learning and ability accounts for only a small portion of the complete journey in becoming an accomplished musician.
In recent years, a lot of research has gone into finding out how top performers are able to push the boundaries of human achievement. One would think that if there were a “talent gene” then scientists would have found it already…but so far the research has come up empty.
Yet what the research has discovered is that talented people all posses the same drive to improve their skills through what Anders Ericsson has called “Deliberate Practice.” This, in combination with Carol Dweck’s “Growth Mindset” – the belief that you can increase your intelligence and skills through hard work, using effective strategies, along with guidance from teachers and mentors – creates a powerful combination that produces world-class results.
Whilst my kids aren’t producing world-class singing results at home just yet (although their work on the pots and pans is pretty phenomenal!), they have definitely improved their singing ability simply by copying the songs that my wife and I sing with them. We have been doing this since they were born, and this kind of “practice” is the beginning of skill development for anyone. Whilst my friend put their ability down to natural talent, I would argue that it is just a product of the countless hours of singing that we’ve done together!
So what can you do if you feel that you’ve reached your own “talent ceiling?”
It is easy to get frustrated or despondent when you hit a roadblock in your playing, and start telling yourself “Gee, maybe I don’t have enough talent to do this.” I know I’ve reached that point countless times throughout my career, and know how demoralising it can feel. Perhaps you’ve felt the same too!
But you can be reassured that research shows that any obstacle can be overcome through lots of quality practice, and a belief that you can still improve at what you’re doing. By remaining curious about the difficulties you encounter, always adjusting and experimenting with new strategies to tackle problems, and adding in a spoonful of determination, then you will be able to smash through your talent ceiling and reach new heights in your playing that you never thought possible!
Want to learn more about talent? Here’s some suggestions for further reading:
Carol Dweck – Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Daniel Coyle – The Talent Code
Geoffrey Colvin – Talent Is Overrated
Anders Ericsson & Robert Pool– Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise