Dr. Frank Ferraro discusses how psychological principles can enhance drumming education. It addresses common mental roadblocks faced by students, such as feelings of inadequacy and performance anxiety. Ferraro emphasizes the importance of deliberate practice, intrinsic motivation, and a growth mindset in overcoming these challenges. He also highlights the potential drawbacks of social media in creating unrealistic comparisons among drummers, while suggesting it can be a valuable tool for connecting with a supportive community. Overall, the article aims to inspire both students and teachers to foster resilience and a love for drumming.

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I want to share a few comments I’ve heard from my students in drum lessons recently: “Drumming is too hard; I need to pick an easier instrument.” “I don’t have time for this, I want to quit lessons.” “I can’t play in front of people, I feel judged.” “I see all these great drummers on social media, I’ll never be that good.”

Sound familiar? These are all common feelings (what I call “mental roadblocks”), and I’m sure you have directly encountered them as either a student or a teacher. Through a mixture of evidence-based psychology findings, along with personal student anecdotes, my PASIC presentation aims to help you overcome these “roadblocks” with practical behavioral strategies rooted in the science of psychology.

TOPIC 1: EXPERTS ARE MADE, NOT BORN
The first section will emphasize that learning anything well will take significant effort, especially percussion and drumset. However, the way you practice matters greatly. You can waste time with inefficient practice routines and not see tangible results. I will emphasize the principle of deliberate practice. ¹An important conclusion from psychological research will be emphasized: experts are made, not born.

TOPIC 2: YOU’RE NOT A GOOD DRUMMER
Drumming requires two important aspects of motivation: intrinsic drive and growth mindset. Students who are able to be motivated by personal goals (i.e., intrinsically motivated), as opposed to external rewards or praise, will experience more consistent practice and long-term enjoyment of the instrument.^{2, 3} Further, drummers who view musical difficulties as healthy challenges (a component of growth mindset) will be more likely to overcome obstacles when they arise. 

One key aspect of intrinsic motivations and growth involves teachers focusing on the learning process, rather than telling students they are “good” at what they do. Praising “good” playing seems natural, but if used too often, can undermine intrinsic motivation and actually slow a student’s progress when material becomes more difficult.

TOPIC 3: OVERCOMING THE JITTERS
Performance anxiety can be reduced with understanding cognitive psychological principlesbased on the person, the situation, and the task at hand. Understanding the human stress response can also be helpful in managing performance anxiety. I will provide specific examples and relaxation routines that are effective.

TOPIC 4: CONNECT RATHER THAN COMPETE
I will emphasize that cell phones are an outlet for good and bad habits. Specifically related to drumming, social media can lead to unrealistic social comparisonsof drumming skills and performances.⁴ The multitude of drummers on social media may create a mental impression that they are “better” or “more successful” players. Highly edited and mistake-free performances also create a false impression of drumming that especially affects young drummers. 

Despite these drawbacks, I believe social media can be a powerful tool if used to connect with an online community of more advanced players. This can help drummers more rapidly learn their instrument and build confidence. Related to this, it is important to have “good inputs” for your musical ideas, so I will highlight several social media accounts that provide good inspiration, especially for young drummers.

CONCLUSION
No musician, whether student or teacher, can expect music to be a simple path. The difficulties will be numerous, and perhaps a large degree of them will be mental. The goals of this session include learning how to overcome some mental obstacles by adopting a deliberate practice routine, growth mindset, understanding and managing stress, and using social media to your advantage psychologically.

Finally, the future of almost all human abilities will involve understanding the complexities of the brain. Thus, the field of neuroscience will be critical for drum educators to follow. Already, neuroscience research is revealing intriguing ideas about neural pathways (mirror neurons) that may be linked to musical development and creativity. I hope the future explorations of neuroscience will keep you intrigued about the possibilities it holds for drumming education.

In the meantime, the psychological skills discussed in this session should inspire teachers to help their students be better musicians, and ultimately mentally healthier people.

ENDNOTES
1. Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T. & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100, 363–406.
2. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behaviour. Plenum Press. New York.
3. Evans, P. (2015). Self-determination theory: An approach to motivation in music education. Musicae Scientiae, 19(1), 65–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864914568044
4. Ferraro, F. (2022, August 23). Stop comparing your drumming to social media stars. https://www.drumeo.com/beat/stop-comparing-your-drumming-to-social-media-stars/