I recently finished reading Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink. This book discusses recent research about motivation, incentives, and psychology. Here are some things I learned and how they can be applied to the band room.
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic
Motivation is generally divided into two categories. Extrinsic motivation is driven by tangible rewards, such as money or trophies. Extrinsic motivation is often defined by “if-then” rewards, such as “if you complete all of your chores, I will give you $20.”
Intrinsic motivation is a drive that comes from within. The rewards for intrinsic motivation are often undefined ideas or feelings. An example of intrinsic motivation might be, “We don’t keep score when we play ping pong, we just like to play.”
There is nothing wrong with extrinsic motivators when used properly. Extrinsic motivators can be an excellent reward, but when used in the wrong situations they can actually stifle creativity and productivity. The author gives several examples in which “if-then” rewards actually have no effect or even a negative effect on people.
In an activity such as music, which is inherently cooperative and creative, we should strive to become intrinsically motivated. According to the research in this book, an “if-then” reward such as “if you play all of your scales, then you will get a certificate” would be the wrong approach to motivate musicians. So what are some ways we can support intrinsic motivation in the band room?
Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose
The author discusses how intrinsically motivated people and organizations have these three attributes in common. So how can we incorporate these ideas in music class?
Autonomy – Students should be allowed to approach problems from their own perspective. We should avoid a “one-size-fits-all” approach to music making. Rather than teaching the one correct way to practice or perform a passage, teachers should allow students to perform something many different ways. One simple way to apply this in the band room is for the director to stop teaching every once in a while! Get off the podium and let the students practice a passage on their own. Give them the autonomy to fix the music on their own. Another approach is to model creativity and improvisation. Rather than teaching one way to practice a scale, demonstrate a variety of ways to play it. If students have more autonomy over music making, it will be much more fun for them to rehearse and practice!
Mastery – To build a feeling of intrinsic motivation, thing about short-term mastery rather than long-term mastery. Of course we want our students to achieve mastery on their instruments, but they must feel as if they are achieving something real on a daily basis. It is up to the teacher to develop lessons where students are appropriately challenged and have a real chance at success. (For more information on mastery, read Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)
Purpose – Students should know that their work is important to each other and to the community. I emphasize the idea that we are making music for ourselves and each other on a daily basis. It’s important for us to practice and sound good, because otherwise we are short-changing ourselves of hearing good music during class. I also want my students to know that we are responsible for making great live music for our school and town. We have a real impact on the musical culture of our community, and people value them for their hard work and talent.
Benefits of Intrinsic Motivation
I hope that by applying these concepts of autonomy, mastery, and purpose to the band room I can help my students become intrinsically motivated in other aspects of their lives. I want my students to become the type of people who solve problems, help others, and work for a greater good. If we use “if-then” motivators, then we develop a “you get what you pay for” model. Students will only work for the reward and will never develop the feeling of enjoying music-making just for the sake of it.
People who are intrinsically motivated are often more successful and happy later in life. They learn to work towards long-term goals and to have fun in their work. They are the type of people who say “I love my job” or “I love playing guitar even though I don’t make any money from it.”
For more information, I recommend reading Drive. They author expands on these ideas and gives helpful, concrete suggestions for developing intrinsic motivation in ourselves, our schools, our companies, and our community.
