Social Media vs Learning

The Problem

Social media has fundamentally changed how students perceive learning music:

The Social Media Formula:

• Watch perfect performance video
• Feels easy/achievable
• Instant dopamine hit
• "I should be able to do this too"

The Conflict: This creates unrealistic expectations that conflict with the actual learning process. Students begin to believe that learning should be easy, fun, and lead to immediate perfection.

When Reality Hits:

• Student attempts the piece
• Makes mistakes (normal part of learning)
• Thinks: "I must be wrong/bad at this"
• Result: Frustration, spiraling, or quitting

The Reality: How Learning Actually Works

The Real Learning Formula:

Practice → Repetition → Strengthen Neural Signal → Gradual Development → Mastery

Understanding Neural Pathways

Think of learning like building a path through a forest:

First Attempt (Weak Signal)

• Bushwhacking through undergrowth
• Unclear, difficult, lots of obstacles
• This is NORMAL

Early Practice (Developing Path)

• Some vegetation cleared
• Path becoming visible
• Still requires effort and attention

Consistent Practice (Clear Trail)

• Well-trodden path
• Easier to follow
• Less conscious effort needed

Mastery (Highway)

• Smooth, automatic route
• Minimal conscious thought required
• The neural pathway is fully established

The Signal Metaphor

Learning is like strengthening a radio signal:

First attempt:     ~~~·~·~···~    (weak, inconsistent)
After practice:    ~~~··~··~~·    (getting clearer)
More repetition:   ~~~~·~~~·~~~   (stronger signal)
Consistent work:   ~~~~~~~~~~     (clear signal)
Mastery:           ══════════     (perfect transmission)

What This Means For Practice

Mistakes Are Information, Not Failure

Every mistake shows you where the neural pathway needs strengthening. It's not a sign you're bad at drums - it's a sign you're learning.

Repetition Builds The Highway

You can't download the highway from Instagram. You have to lay it, section by section, through deliberate practice. It feels slow because you're literally constructing the neural pathway.

"Knowing It" ≠ "Playing It Perfectly"

Understanding how something works (brain knowledge) is different from your hands executing it automatically (muscle memory/neural pathways). Both are necessary, but they're built differently:

• Knowledge comes quickly
• Execution comes through repetition

Social Media Shows The Destination, Not The Journey

The drummer in the video has built their highway over months or years. You're seeing the finished product, not the hundreds of hours of practice that created it.

Healthy Practice Mindset

Instead of: "I can't do this!" → repeat 10× → get angry → everything suffers

• Practice: "That didn't work" → move on → return later → adjust tempo → gradually build confidence

Instead of: "I should be able to play this perfectly because I know it"

• Reality: "I understand it (brain), now I'm building the pathway (hands)"

Instead of: Comparing yourself to the perfect video

• Focus: Comparing yourself to where you were last week

The Bottom Line

Social media shows you the highway.

Practice builds the highway.

Repetition strengthens the highway.

There are no shortcuts. But understanding the process makes the journey less frustrating and more rewarding.