Learning is not Easy

I belong to a group that shares ideas about learning music. I am going to share with you some of what was posted recently. I hope you will think about it.These are thoughts from wise individuals:
"I see that success in learning music -- and I believe, by extension, in learning anything -- has to do with character. Not character as in following the golden rule and standing up to bullies, but character as in an attitude of approaching and dealing with the world and its challenges. Character as in taking responsibility for your learning. Character as is showing up for your life -- prepared, eager, willing, interested, alert, energetic, engaged.

Interestingly, this is most evident with smart students -- the ones for whom everything in school comes easily. According to the article, these students can be among the most resistant to tackling projects that actually require real work. In so many cases, bright students are underchallenged in school and never really have to deal with the mammoth difficulties that, say, a math-challenged student faces every day when looking at an algebra problem. Even in gifted program where bright kid are challenged, the steps for figuring out the problem come easily enough; the problem is usually solved without the head-banging frustration of just not "getting it."

Music challenges the brilliant student just as easily as it challenges everyone else. Becoming a musician is an infinite process, and none of us ever stop learning, ever stop making mistakes. There is no "being done with it." There is always someone better; there is always a harder piece; there is always something you can't do. The "problem" is never entirely solved, because as soon as we learn to play one Beethoven Sonata, we discover another, harder one, we want to play. The audience likes a flashy showpiece by a technically sloppy performer better than our note-perfect but less appealing offering.
The choices we make are not talent questions; they are character questions.

We are used to hearing about the benefits of music education: Serious music students score better on standardized tests, do better in college, have fewer problems with drugs and alcohol. MRIs have shown that musician's brains function differently in terms of neural pathways than non-musician's brains.
But we don't have to look inside a music student's brain to find the answer: It may be as simple as the issue of character -- of getting up when you're down, being honest about your mistakes, dealing with frustration, trying one more time, breaking a problem down and patiently putting the pieces together one at a time."

There is a lot more to this article than I shared. I am glad that some of you have a great deal of character. I have students who do not give all they can to their work and then there are those who make me happy with their quick wit and sweet smiles. The Amazing Race is almost an "amazing crawl" right now. I want action. Okay?
BONUS QUESTION WORTH $2: In the hall of the Mountain King, what 3 things does the king ask Peer Gynt to do?