Many of us have seen various brazen young (or not so young) performers on televised talent programs break down into hysteria because the judges unanimously vote to reject them from the competition. Time and time again we wonder in amazement how this person could be so clueless as to how they believed they could win a singing competition when we’ve heard beagles sing better.
Well, I was one of those singers. Except I wasn’t a singer, but a trumpet player, and in reality, I wasn’t that bad. As a matter of fact. I was pretty good; and herein lies the root problem.
I was good because I worked hard at being a trumpet player.
Really hard.
Imagine spending 7 hours a day in a 2 X 2m2 practice room 6-7 days a week just to keep up with the others – and never exceeding them.
Years later I learned that one of my personality drivers was: Work hard, which explained a lot.
The comedian, Jimmy Carr, explains in this 12-second YouTube video whether it is incredible talent or hard work that wins the day.
In High School, I was the star musician — not difficult when you’re competing with a few hundred high schoolers. When I entered university, I realized very quickly that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. I set out to work, and work, I did.
And yet, I never attained the virtuosity of the top stars. Not deterred, I continue my trumpet studies in Lund, Sweden where I studied with Bo Nilsson, who had been the teacher of some of the most successful trumpet players in Europe. That year was transformative for me and enabled me to receive graduate school offers from The University of Michigan and Yale, so I couldn’t have been that bad.
But really, I should have quit years before that. Looking back, I think that the only reason I didn’t quit was fear of being seen as a failure. Sure, I was passionate about trumpet playing, but not like my peers. For me, it was about the immense effect music had on me, but that didn’t make me more talented.
One question that lingers with me today, however, is why none of my professors sat me down and said, Michael, this is where I would put you on the scale with your peers. Let’s say they were nice and gave me a 4 out of 5. Keep in mind my peers had all elected trumpet playing their lifetime goal, so most of the clearly untalented bunch had already been culled.
This professor could then have continued and said, Why don’t you ask some of the other professors to give you their assessment because I could be wrong, in which case you might study with someone else, or it could lead you to a new path?
In all honesty, I was secretly waiting for one of my professors to do just that. Today, I recognize that there are so many reasons why no one did. And to a large degree, I don’t blame them. After all, crushing someone’s lifelong dream is not a task that anyone would like to be saddled with; and what if I were to have miraculously shaken off the impediments I had been suffering – as I had hoped? How many times did I feel that I had during all those years?The breaking point came when I had a break-up with my family and my world came crashing down. I no longer had it in me to keep up the fight. I put my seven trumpets in their cases and shoved them under the bed. That was it. I needed to move on with my life.
Two weeks later, I was a different person. The daily trauma of not being able to hit the high notes or play certain passages was behind me. My fear of grave depression for quitting was replaced with a feeling of liberty.
I don’t want to give the impression that my 20 years of trumpet playing was day-after-day torture because that would be far from the truth. I remember excellent performances that I’m proud of to this day. And certainly not all of my practice sessions were challenging, but enough of them were hard work, which I interpreted as par for the course. No pain, no gain, right? Well, not really.
Once you’ve graduated from college, you should be so proficient in your playing that you can focus the majority of your time on style and repertoire rather than basic technique and stamina. I should have received the message that this was never going to be many years before I kicked my horns under the bed.
Now I’m thinking, I’m probably not the only one who has gone through this – since probably 90% of aspiring classical musicians never actually acquire a professional seat in an orchestra and those who do are rarely compensated for their efforts in a fair way.[1]
My single-sentence definition of talent is: the innate or natural ability to excel in a particular field, as confirmed and validated by others with expertise in that field.
Generally speaking, you can ask yourself four questions to gain insights as to whether you have the talent to have a professional career in the domain preference.
- Where do you stand with your peers? How long has it been that way?
- Ask three or more objective professionals for their assessment.
- How is your progress? Do you progress quickly or find yourself constantly hitting a glass ceiling?
- What does your gut tell you? This requires complete honesty and the understanding that what you set your heart out on doing may not be what you are gifted in.
I have re-framed these questions below for people who aspire to be musicians (jazz or classical), sports professionals, and business leaders.
How can you determine if you possess talent in classical or jazz music?
- Peer Comparison: Assess where you stand among fellow musicians. Have you consistently performed at a high level, and has this position been maintained over time?
- Expert Feedback: Seek evaluations from three or more objective music professionals or instructors. Their insights can provide a balanced perspective on your musical abilities. Avoid family members and friends as they will naturally have a bias, and even if they don’t you might have a difficult time trusting that they don’t.
- Progress Evaluation: Reflect on your musical journey. Are you steadily improving your skills and musicality, or do you repeatedly encounter barriers that hinder your advancement? Are you the go-to person when someone needs a substitute? Are you receiving first-chair spots? If that is not happening by college level, there is a good chance that all your hard work is for naught if your dream is to play in a professional ensemble.
- Trust Your Instincts: Engage in honest self-reflection. Listen to your intuition and gut feelings. Understand that while your passion for music may drive you, true talent may lead you in a different direction, and it’s important to acknowledge this possibility.
Sports Person:
How can you determine if you possess talent in sports?
- Peer Comparison: Assess where you stand among your fellow athletes in your chosen sport. Have you consistently performed at a high level, and has this position been maintained over time? Are you the first string? It’s the rare exception that hard work can compensate for a lack of native talent.
- Expert Feedback: Seek evaluations from three or more objective sports coaches or experts. Their insights can provide a balanced perspective on your athletic abilities. Even if your mom is a sports professional, she will not be able to give you an objective view, and may even be projecting her own ambitions on you.
- Progress Evaluation: Reflect on your athletic journey. Are you steadily improving your skills and performance, or do you repeatedly encounter barriers that hinder your advancement?
- Trust Your Instincts: Engage in honest self-reflection. Listen to your intuition and gut feelings. Understand that while your passion for sports may drive you, true talent may lead you in a different direction, and it’s important to acknowledge this possibility.
Business Person:
How can you determine if you possess talent in the business world?
- Peer Comparison: Assess where you stand among your peers in your business endeavors. Have you consistently demonstrated exceptional skills and achievements, and has this position been maintained over time?
- Expert Feedback: Seek evaluations from three or more objective business professionals or mentors. Their insights can provide a balanced perspective on your business acumen.
- Progress Evaluation: Reflect on your career path. Are you steadily advancing in your field, achieving milestones, and overcoming challenges, or do you repeatedly encounter barriers that hinder your professional growth?
- Trust Your Instincts: Engage in honest self-reflection. Listen to your intuition and gut feelings. Understand that while your passion for business may drive you, true talent may guide you in a different direction, and it’s important to acknowledge this possibility.
I’d love to hear how others in different fields determine whether they truly ‘have it.’ What’s your test?
#UnlockYourTalent #TalentMatters #FindYourPassion #PursueGreatness #SkillAndDedication #GrowthMindset #MasterYourCraft #TalentDevelopment #ChaseYourDreams
[1] https://iml.esm.rochester.edu/polyphonic-archive/article/professional-sacrifices-define-the-lives-of-orchestra-musicians/index.html
