Have you set your New Year's resolutions yet? Do you have any resolutions related to vocal practice this year?
Actually, maybe it's OK if you haven't made any resolutions. According to a Columbia University study featured in an article from CBS News, half of Americans make New Year's resolutions, but only 25% of us stick with them past 30 days. So, really, they should probably be called "January Resolutions," since that's all the longer they tend to last.
According to the article, there are a couple of reasons so many of us fail in our resolutions. When we dig into the details, these reasons can be turned into guidelines for how we can actually stay committed to our resolutions—perhaps especially so if they relate to vocal practice.
First, we need to turn our resolutions into habits. According to author Justin Hale, "Research shows that 40% of what we do day in and day out are habits. Habits are things that you do without even thinking. You do those things like a routine, habitually, almost automatic." Our lives during the school year are often tightly dictated by routine: get up at a designated time, go to class at a designated time, do your homework in that short window between class and rehearsal or work, etc. If we want to make our practice resolutions successful, we have to make them habits by scheduling regular practice sessions and then sticking to those times the same way we do for all of the other important events on our schedules. We have to make those sessions part of our daily routines.
A second reason people fail in keeping their resolutions is they are not specific enough. The article uses the example of "I want to run more in the new year" compared to "I'm going to run 30 minutes each day." As Hale says, "It's really specific and really clear—really measurable."
I've talked about this before with many of you (and I blogged about it in 2019). If your resolution is "I want to sing higher," that's less specific than "I want to extend my range by two half steps beyond my current highest note." When a resolution is less measurable, it is harder to know if you are making progress, which demotivates you to keep practicing. As it turns out, the more specific your goals, the more likely you will be to keep working toward them.
The last thing Hale says is something I don't entirely agree with: "Building new habits in the new year is less about grit and willpower, and it's more about having the right plan to make that new behavior habitual." Yes, the whole point of this blog is that we need to make resolutions habitual and we need to have specific plans for what we are working toward. But I also believe that grit and willpower are important.
According to Vocabulary.com, the word "resolution" and the word "resolve" come from the same Latin word: resolvere. And, according to Dictionary.com, when resolve is used as a noun, its definitions include “firmness of purpose or intent; determination.”
So, the first thing you might consider in setting a new resolution and working to make it a habit is to establish your resolve. Whether you call it grit, willpower, resolve, or something else, you can choose in each practice session to take on an attitude of determination. Combined with routine and specificity, resolve may also help you stick with your resolutions—long past 30 days.
What are your goals/resolutions for this semester?
Now go practice.
