Making the Most of Feedback!
For me, probably the most important part of the learning process is gaining feedback on my own performance. Hearing praise and positive comments from the people around you is always lovely, and can be a great reward for the long hours you’ve put in. However, sometimes feedback can be a bit difficult to swallow, and is something that can take some time to process and learn from.
So with that in mind, I thought I’d take a look at 5 points to consider when it comes to feedback:
✅ Feedback is an important part of the learning process
Feedback helps you form a basis for self-evaluation of your current abilities, by making you aware of your strengths, as well as areas that can be improved. It can also give you a clear link between your thoughts and actions (or the CAUSE) and the subsequent result of those thoughts and actions (the EFFECT). When these two components align, you are able to create a much more accurate musical result.
Feedback also helps you to self-regulate your behaviour to learn more effectively in the future. Once you can identify what actions need to be taken to improve your performance, you can become more self-reliant and less dependent on external feedback to get better.
✅ Feedback keeps you on track when working towards your goals
Regular positive reinforcement and adjustment helps you avoid bigger mistakes in the future. Making smaller adjustments with consistent feedback will help to keep you moving in the right direction, and avoid larger corrections or the need to un-learn bad habits down the track.
✅ Constructive feedback can be used as motivation to boost performance
Finding out alternative ways to tackle challenging areas of your playing can provide you with a more effective way forward. Experimenting with these ideas will inevitably increase your engagement in the learning process, fuelling further development, motivation, and enjoyment.
Of course hearing positive feedback is always a nice thing, particularly after a long stretch of hard work in the practice room. Validation of the work you’ve been doing by the people around you can generate lasting motivation, and give you a greater sense of purpose and direction in your musical journey.
✅ Feedback is more available to you than you think
Most performers are more conscious of feedback in the presence of other musicians, from the audience, or from your teacher. However these are not the only places where you can gain valuable information on your level of performance.
Grab your phone and make a habit of recording yourself regularly! This is a great way to accurately evaluate your own playing, and make adjustments in an efficient and easy way. The time between when you play and when you listen back to the recording can be done within a few seconds. This means that it’s easy to compare what you THOUGHT you sounded like, with what you ACTUALLY sounded like. From this point you can make more accurate and efficient adjustments, as you can still clearly remember what you did (cause), and the result that you got (effect).
Whilst a teacher will be able to guide you on possible solutions to issues that you’re having, I find the best teacher at your disposal is your recording device. Once you can get over the initial cringe of listening back to yourself, your recording device will soon become your best (and most honest!) friend.
✅ Ask for advice, rather than feedback
In 2019, there was an interesting study done to see whether asking for ADVICE from someone would be an effective way of gaining useful insight, as opposed to asking for feedback. The findings suggest that: “…asking for advice, compared to feedback, reduces the giver’s evaluative focus, yielding more constructive input. Thus, seekers of constructive feedback may benefit from framing their request as seeking out advice.”
So if you ever come across someone that you feel is being more judgemental or evaluative about your playing, you can try out this tactic of asking for advice instead. Hopefully this will help you to gain some valuable and constructive information, rather than leave feeling demoralised or uninspired by their perceived criticism.
So where do you gain the most valuable feedback from?
Study: Yoon, Jaewon, Hayley Blunden, Ariella Kristal, and A.V. Whillans.