Football haters, stay with me for a minute.  This note is not about football, this is about excellence.   At the age of 37, Peyton Manning is back in the Super Bowl after a season where he also broke numerous records. This is on the heels of neck surgery and a two year window where Peyton could barely throw a football 10 yards.

What makes Manning amazing besides his natural talent?  It is his work ethic.  Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers, wrote that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill.  Natural Talent + Work Ethic + Goal Orientation = Winner.  That’s how I see the formula for the most successful people.

I often try to convert these observations back to what drives success in art and music.  Isn’t it funny that people talk about a “born artist” or a “natural musician,” but often overlook the disciplined “training” time that goes into developing greatness in these creative fields.  I love to see our students working on their first thousand hours and it gives me great hope for what the next nine thousand will bring.

Monday, January 20, 2014