Coyle notes that, "Most of us are allergic to mistakes. . . Brain
scan studies reveal a vital instant, .025 seconds after a mistake is
made, in which people do one of two things—they look hard at the mistake
or they ignore it. People who pay deeper attention to an error learn
significantly more than those who ignore it."
This reminds me of the practice in many British choirs (and many
influenced by the practice here in the US) where the choir member raises
their hand immediately after they make a mistake. I've always thought
of this as a way for the chorister to let the conductor know they
acknowledge the mistake, meaning it'll be corrected and no need to stop
the rehearsal.
But this makes me think that perhaps there's another reason for
this practice: it could literally help the singer learn more quickly
from their mistake—and repeat a mistake fewer times (or not at all).
If some of you use this practice regularly in your choir, let us
know in a comment if it's made a difference in the number of times a
mistake is made before it's corrected.
An intriguing idea! And perhaps a good reason for me to ask my singers to do this, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment