“There was no epiphany when the instrument panel suddenly and mystically
revealed to me my location in the airspace.
Those few days were just
slogging, brute-force
repetitions. But the actions of rote procedure
slowly became a little less scripted and a little more natural.
Gradually I fused together the information from each instrument to
know where I was, where I needed to go, and what I needed to do.”

This quote is taken from a recent article in Air and Space Magazine. It’s about Heather Penny, and the title of the article is “…She Had To Learn How To Fail First.”

Capt. Penny did eventually pass her check ride. Today she is most known for being one of two fighter pilots tasked with bringing down United Airlines Flight 93 with her unarmed F-16. That’s right: she and her wingman were sent to ram the airliner to prevent it from reaching Washington DC.  As we all know, the hijackers put the airliner into the ground in Pennsylvania, killing all aboard. Unknowingly, they also spared the lives of Capt. Penny and her wingman that day.

This remarkable story and the quote have many takeaways for us in Vocal Training.

• The instrument panel did not suddenly and mystically reveal itself to her. Instead, and over time, it did so almost without conscious thought (unaided?) as she continued to work at it.
• Slowly, things became a little less scripted and a little more natural. Yes – it’s exactly that way in the study of elite singing, too.
• Sometimes, even highly skilled, brilliant successful people like USAF pilots require slogging, brute-force repetitions. They sometimes have to Just. Keep. Going. no matter how it feels. They are required to work Patiently – with themselves and with the process.
• Gradually, the information in her brain fused together and the information from each instrument (vocal training techniques to us) made sense.

My three big takeaways for Vocal Training are the same as hers. Eventually she:

• Knew where she was;
• Where she needed to go; and
• What she needed to do.

And so it is, MaJoVTA members, that each of your weekly training sessions keeps you in the flow of learning. Early on, it’s about where you are. Then, it becomes about where you need to go. Finally, you know what you need to do as a Vocal Artist.

Growth is inevitable once you understand and embrace this process.

M

#learntofail
#slowpatientgradual
#dothereps
#majovta