In this RVR Singers Blog, I want to share some of the positive learning outcomes I have observed through working with my singers that have diagnosed, or previously undiagnosed learning challenges. In general people with learning disabilities are of average or above average intelligence. There often appears to be a gap between the individual’s potential and actual ability to confidently grasp the concepts required to master a new academic or physical skill.
First, let me state the obvious. Human beings are incredibly complex creatures. Our rate of processing new concepts, and our ability to learn new skills and muscle co-ordinations varies dramatically from person to person. I often have singers that come to me who experience various levels of anxiety when they find themselves in an unfamiliar position that requires them to learn new soft or hard skills, much like the skills required to learn to sing and develop their voice to its full performing potential.
The long and the short of it is that there are plenty of clients that I have met that find it hard to learn new skills using traditional learning methods. The result of disappointing learning experiences in the past can trigger increased anxiety the next time the client is confronted with a new learning opportunity. The client’s lack of ability to successfully learn new skills when employing a traditional learning method often creates a great deal of frustration and embarrassment on their part. These kinds of negative learning experiences can directly contribute to lower levels of self esteem, feeding the fear that the person is a slow or poor learner, which often isn’t necessarily true.
This is not a positive belief system for anyone to operate from successfully if they want to enjoy a happy life and maintain a positive outlook for their future.
The truth is that their brain may be wired slightly differently compared to the average person that thrives off traditional learning methods. That’s where the RVR ‘Nu Learning’ system can really make a difference.
Everyone’s brain is unique. Some people’s brains are naturally wired to rapidly learn the skills to play music at a virtuoso level with little or no formal training. Some can reproduce amazing works of art simply by converting what they see to brush strokes on the page – et voila! they have created an epic master piece. Most people seem to have brains that can happily learn some basic academic and physical skills, yet find it difficult to master advanced fine motor skills that some other people take for granted.
My point is simple. It’s not right to judge someone’s learning potential based on an outdated or draconian learning method prescribed to them. If a student is experiencing poor learning results, we shouldn’t start with blaming the student for their lack of ability to learn. We should be taking a second look at the learning methodology that is being prescribed and we should make sure that the learning methodology is effective in making the student enthusiastic about learning new skills.
Yes, many singing teachers and vocal coaches are guilty of using outdated learning methods from the turn of the century. If it sounds draconian and the learning method fails to capture a student’s imagination, then the learning method is ineffective and will deliver dissatisfactory results. This is why the RVR ‘Nu Learning’ system is about tailoring a customised coaching programme to your brain’s preferred way of learning.
I have been coaching for over twenty years and have worked with people from all different areas of society, all different ages and from all different types of backgrounds. I have successfully coached people that wanted to learn to sing and/or improve their public speaking skills. This includes people who have Asperger’s Syndrome, ADD, ADHD, as well as students suffering from brain injuries brought on through head trauma, heart attacks and strokes etc. In short, I have worked successfully with clients with a varied assortment of learning challenges and have been able to create successful learning outcomes for all of the above.
So what’s my secret to produce Rapid Learning Results? The key components to all successful learning outcomes are:
- DESIRE. You must genuinely be excited to learn a new soft or hard skill.
- METHOD. Every person’s brain has their own preferred way of learning, which is based on how each brain is individually wired to experience pleasure and excitement through learning.
- PERSEVERANCE. Once we’ve jointly identified your brain’s preferred way of learning, we stay in that learning mode as often as we can during your coaching sessions.
In summary, if you find that you experience difficulty when trying to confidently learn and retain new skills, knowledge or concepts, don’t blame your brain. Instead, try a more customised ‘Nu Learning’ system.
Contact me now to discuss how a customised RVR ‘Nu Learning’ system can benefit you.