Sunday, February 2, 2020

The Associative/Motor Learning Stage

Continuing our discussion of motor learning theory, which explains how we develop skills, this blog will more closely examine the second stage. The authors of The Vocal Athlete refer to this as the motor learning stage, while the authors of Vocology call it the associative stage.

In the motor learning stage, the skill we're learning is no longer brand new. We start to get the hang of things and begin to refine the skill. We've done it enough times for it to start to become familiar and somewhat predictable. We can also start to self-diagnose and work through our own problems when it doesn't go the way we'd like.

As students get more practiced at self-diagnosing in stage two, the role of the teacher has to change. As I mentioned before, in stage one, the teacher has to provide a lot of guidance, direction, and feedback. He or she needs to validate successful attempts, point out failed attempts, and offer more continuous instruction on how to correctly execute the skill, since the students are not yet able to distinguish that for themselves.

When you all are in stage two, I become more of a facilitator than a teacher. I do a lot more asking questions to get you to self-analyze rather than just giving you the answers. Admittedly, that can make this process feel tedious and frustrating. At times in the past, when I have asked students questions like, "How was that time different from the first time you sang it?" or "What did you notice when you sang this time?" they have responded with, "You're the teacher. You tell me."

But, once the student reaches stage two, if the teacher continues to give as much feedback and direction as was needed during the first stage, it can prevent students from developing their own self-diagnosis abilities. In this way, giving students directions instead of guiding them to reach their own solutions actually HARMS their ability to learn the skill. It may improve their performance in the short term, but if they did not get there on their own, they are less likely to be able to repeat that performance in the long run or when their teacher is not present.

Of course, in order for you to make progress in stage two, you have to be consciously engaged in the process. Going through the motions without being focused may lead to some changes in your immediate performance, but those changes will be more accidental rather than intentional. You have to be the one making decisions and making changes while I try to help keep you moving in the right direction and then stay out of your way as you explore, struggle, and eventually find your own answers.

Honestly, I think the hardest stage to get through is stage two. In stage one, there is the excitement of learning something new, and you aren't so afraid of failing because you understand that you are a beginner. Stage three is also nice because you are reaping the rewards of all your hard work and enjoying your new capabilities. But stage two can last for a really long time (years, for some skills) with seemingly incremental progress or periods of stagnation.

The good news is, the necessary frustration of stage two means that you are getting closer to the automatic stage. If you are avoiding the frustration, or if you quit when you start to get frustrated, or if you are waiting for your teacher to "fix" the problem, then you are keeping yourself in stage one.

What aspects of your singing are in the motor learning stage? What skills are you starting to get the hang of? What skills are getting more consistent but still aren't automatic yet? What have you been discovering in your singing this week?

Now go practice.

There are always lots of options, but you have to decide where to go.

10 comments:

  1. To me, being aware of this stage is greatly important. I would say for me, both jaw tension and neck tension are among my obstacles that are in this second stage. While I have made some progress, I still have a long way to go. I am able now to catch myself tensing up too much and I can consciously think about fixing it, but it surely isn't automatic. I am hoping though that I can find a point where I no longer hold so much stress in these regions and can find that freedom without thinking so much about it. There are other things that are becoming more automatic though. I am finding a lot more freedom in my upper register. I can learn music much quicker than I used to be able to. I am simply finding more confidence in my voice. This week I've really been discovering the limits that I can push in my voice. I am starting to really find the balance in growing my stamina while still avoiding injury and overuse. I will continue to work on these things and see where they get me.

    ~Caleb Hunt

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  2. I think for me the biggest things in phase 2 is shaping for certain vowels and placement for louder /warmer sounds. I know it’s in stage 2 because I know what needs to happen, and I understand why, but I tend to loose the shape/placement when I’m not constantly thinking about it. I think for me stage 3 is when I don’t have to think about it, and right now I have to focus a lot on these things. As for things that are entering the 3rd phase, I noticed I don’t have to think to much now about hitting higher notes in a belty/chest heavy tone. I used to have to concentrate a lot to keep it in a chest tone quality but now I don’t have to be as aware of it. This week I discovered a new way of thinking about breath support for me that just kind of clicked as I practiced a new song. I found when I practiced the run of high notes that I was running out of breath for if I thought about sending the sound out to a clear point in front of me, I had an easier time getting through the phrases on a single breath.

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  3. What aspects of your singing are in the motor learning stage?
    This year has been an interesting year vocally, and a myriad of new information has made its way into my head. You're so right! It was all exciting and refreshing and new, and it really encouraged me to dial up my desire for learning. It really wasn't super frustrating because I KNEW it was information that I hadn't quite come to grips with yet. Whether you want to call it my "mix" or whatever, a new vocal technique was thrown my way, and alien as it was, I was excited to sing again because I was fascinated by what the voice was doing, and the things I would be able to do- with plenty of hard work. Now, I believe I am in the motor learning stage of my mix. I am finally singing without too much tension, so I suppose you could say I am starting to get the hang of that. However, accessing and consistently utilizing my "mix" properly is where I am struggling/working on consistency of articulation and execution. It's interesting because the lack of tension has allowed me to recognize what it is supposed to feel like- I'm no longer dealing with that barrier. I am instead now regularly dealing with a hurdle! Sometimes I jump the hurdle with great heat, and plenty room to spare. You can just tell when it ~feels~ right. Sometimes I get over the hurdle, but my foot catches, so I know to jump a little higher next time. Then other times, most of the times, I trip over the hurdle and fall on my face. Now, instead of getting frustrated and quitting, I get back up and start running to the next hurdle, with the knowledge in mind that I may have to jump a bit higher. Analogies have been extremely helpful in allowing me to remain positive and motivated, so I hope you could follow!
    -Treygiorni

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  4. While I would like to say I am in stage two of the motor learning process, I feel it would be more accurate to say I am closer to stage one than two. While singing is nothing new to me, the way I am now learning is different and requires a much more focused approach. That is not to say that I am able to use aspects of the second stage. I am aware that I can sound nasal, or that my nervousness can cause me to tense up and become rigid. While I am not always immediately aware of when this is happening, by going through my body and checking off where I am, I become aware of those aspects and begin to correct them. One skill that I have had trouble recognizing and using has been my head voice. It was odd and slightly uncomfortable singing there at first. It still is odd singing and it takes me a minute to get into that area, but I am now beginning to recognize when I am singing in my head voice vs chest.
    -Will Tepner

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  5. I think I am in stage two for many different things in my voice. Vibrato, pitch control, pitch intervals, etc, I have seen my skill and knowledge of these abilities improve. I can tell very quickly if something was incorrect or needs a proper adjustment, which is why I would categorize them into stage two rather then one. I've also noticed my tendency to miss notes on a scale w/o the piano's help has improved a ton, granted, it's been over a year and a half time frame, but still I can feel and hear the difference from Fall 18' to now, which is exciting. Something I mention a lot is my vibrato. I did not develop a natural vibrato until last year, but my growth and understanding of how it works and pertains to my voice has been beneficial and thrilling to advance when performing songs. I anticipate I won't be "automatic" with anything for a little while longer, but practice makes perfect.

    -Josh Wheeler

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  6. JT Kaufman:
    I think many of the areas of my singing are in the Associative/Motor Learning stage. I think where I fall short most often is in my self-diagnosis. I know when I am singing with improper techniques. I just need to be better at correcting myself. I think this comes with better documentation of the things I learn and then constant internal checklists to see if the way I am singing matches up to the way I know I am supposed to do so.

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  7. In stage two with my posture I have been doing a good job with it but it is no where near perfect yet and I am still trying to refine all of the kinks. when it comes to jumping from low notes to high notes I tend to keep thinking about it too much instead of just knowing it. this week my voice has been good. I have been very stressed though because I am teaching Floyd and also getting ready for auditions for the plays and the musicals.

    Alex Fish

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  8. I'm in stage two with EVERYTHING right now, it feels like. In my other classes, we call it "Conscious Incompetence" and it is so incredibly frustrating. I'm definitely in that stage with singing different notes close together quickly in warming up. I have to really concentrate on what I'm doing to sing each and every note quickly and correctly. Also, mixing! I'm beginning to develop those skills, which is so exciting, but now I have to employ so much more focus when I'm practicing to make sure my tone is how I want it to be. For the most part though, with singing, I feel like I'm in stage one. Most everything is very new to me. Apparently I'm still in stage 1 with remembering to do the blogs on time... :( -Serena

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  9. Reading this I now realize why you ask me a lot of these types of questions, although I still may not always understand in the moment. I'm trying to get better at telling the differences between a successful attempt and a failed one, but so often it feels random and nothing to really do with anything I've done consciously. But I suppose that means I just need to keep doing it to get better at telling those differences.
    -Brendan Lowry

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  10. The change to stage two... its a brutal one. I still very much love when you make the decisions and tell me what to change rather than me using what I know to help myself. I need to spend more time on my own figuring this out so I can self help in the real world.

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