Expertise

Critical Periods, Practice, and Training

One view on the development of expertise in music is that individuals must be exposed to music and begin musical training during specific “critical” periods of their life. However, controversy exists over the importance of critical periods in acquiring musical expertise. In support of critical periods, studies of animals have shown that exposure to complex and patterned sound is necessary for brain circuitry to wire properly for pitch processing. In addition, musical training in childhood (often before the age of 7 years) is associated with changes in several brain areas responsible for the processing of sound and control of movement, including auditory cortex, motor cortex, sensory cortex, and the corpus callosum. Evidence against critical periods includes the fact that adults can also acquire musical expertise without training during childhood (though this may not be common), and that musical training during childhood does not guarantee the attainment of expertise. Overall, if critical periods are important, their exact time frame may be flexible and other factors are likely also important.

Regardless of the domain, practice and training are essential to the development of musical expertise. Although practice styles may vary, it seems that continued, gradual practice is the most effective and essential method used by individuals who become experts. Growth of musical expertise does not tend to occur in sporadic jumps (i.e., sudden changes) but usually develops gradually over a long period of time. That time period has been proposed to be approximately 10 years of experience or 10,000 hours of practice to reach an international level of performance. Peak performance is typically achieved at closer to 20 or 30 years of experience, corresponding to an individual's 30s and 40s.

Although practice is essential for the development of musical expertise, not all practice is equally effective. For example, proficiently executing routine pieces is unlikely to result in significant improvements. Instead, improvement depends on deliberate efforts to change particular aspects of performance. This deliberate practice involves identifying specific aspects of performance to be improved and then designing training activities to gradually refine performance with feedback and repetition. Deliberate practice is strongly correlated with the development of musical expertise but requires a level of concentration that can be maintained only for limited periods of time. A daily limit of four to five hours, consisting of sessions lasting no longer than one hour before a break, has been reported by expert performers across many domains.

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