Relieving the Tension of Try-Harder Thinking

Have you ever seen a student increase their mental or physical tension to play the right notes, use the right amount of bow, or shift to the right place? I certainly have. In fact, it seems that a growing number of students have the faulty assumption that more strain will lead to better results. They hope to make things easier by trying harder! These well-meaning students are using try-harder thinking. So how do we help these students whose very desire to succeed is what prevents them from reaching their own potential? How do we nurture the drive for excellence without introducing harmful effort?

Our Suzuki community already provides some respite to the intense pressure of knowing the “right” answer, which is so prevalent in the education system. We are a bastion of experiential learning, encouraging our students to take risks and providing a safe environment where that is possible. Still, there is more we can do. By refining our ability to recognize try-harder thinking and collecting strategies for relieving the extraneous tension, we can help our students see that trying hard doesn’t necessarily lead to the best results. They can redefine their relationship to effort and learn to direct their desire to improve more constructively. 

Identifying try-harder thinking 

Our job as teachers would be a lot easier if we could read our students’ thoughts. But until we master telepathy, we must hone our skills of observation. Specifically, paying attention to our students’ body language can help us understand what’s happening in their heads. Try-harder thinking is often manifested in extraneous muscular tension, indicating misdirected effort. Common signs are held breath, a clenched jaw, and staring eyes. As I have become more aware of try-harder thinking, I’ve noticed it in my own playing as well. After years of practicing, the excess tension is less extreme, but the faulty underlying thinking of “if you want to do it well, try harder” is still there. For both myself and my students, the extra tension this thought generates interferes with both tone and the freedom to move. Helping our students begins with improving our ability to see try-harder thinking. 

Students who are so intent on playing that they neglect to breathe may be thinking, “I have to try harder.” Our lungs, surrounded by the rib cage, extend from above the collar bone to mid-way down the back. Their location in the torso makes them an excellent bell-weather for what is happening throughout the body. Musicians of all stripes undermine themselves by interfering with their breathing. You can see it in your students by looking for audible sucking in of air, constricted muscles in the neck, and a fixed rib cage. Becoming more sensitive to a student’s breath can provide meaningful insight into their inner world and their approach to effort. 

Watching students’ eyes can also help detect tension created by try-harder thinking. The optic nerve is intimately linked to the brain and the nervous system. Tension in the eyes is communicated throughout the body, and tension elsewhere can cause the eyes to freeze. Sometimes a beginning reader will fix their eyes on the music with a death stare, as if the harsher they look at the notes the better they will understand them. Their effort warps into futile exertion, making what they hope to become easier more challenging. Luckily, our students’ eyes can be a window into their minds. 

As musicians, we can also read our student’s thinking reflected in their sound. Excess tension constricts tone. Try-harder thinking can be heard because it limits the full resonance of the sound. Once we have detected it we can help our students find an alternative approach. We can guide them to let go of the extra tension and begin to notice when their thinking is interfering with their playing. 

How to help 

“Don’t forget to breathe!” “Stop trying so hard.” “Relax!” For me, these direct approaches rarely produce the results that I am hoping for. Instead, I have found indirect ways to reduce tension, encourage breathing, and free eye movement. The following games and activities shift students away from thinking “try harder” and toward “play with ease.” 

To get the student to release the back of their mouth, jaw, throat, and aid fuller breathing, have them think of something funny so that they smile while they play or ask them to stick out their tongue for an entire song. These activities can also be paired with developing musical sensibility by having students yawn at the end of each phrase, or open and close their mouths on the beat. 

For students who fix their eyes, have them follow a moving object around the room while they play. The game ‘I spy’ can also be used to free the eyes. Choose something for them to find and have them look and make guesses while they play. They might get one guess per phrase and try and find the object before the end of the song! 

Helping our students free themselves from the tension that comes from try-harder thinking allows them to play with greater ease. But our role as teachers isn’t just to help students after they run into a problem, it is also to empower them to notice and avoid the problem altogether. This means helping them discover a new relationship and understanding of effort. 

Learning constructive effort 

We should enable our students to experience the difference between over-trying and exerting only the necessary amount of effort. I make sure my students know what it is like to play with free-flowing breath. We practice connecting the expansion and contraction of the ribcage with the motion of the bow. We experiment with the sensation of coordinating shifts with inhales and exhales. These experiences make it easier for students to notice when they hold their breath. Restricted breath, in turn, signals to them that their effort is being misdirected. 

Developing an awareness of space is another avenue for exploring constructive effort. It provides an experience of playing without limiting eye movement or disengaging with the surrounding environment. While students are playing scales or review pieces, I ask them to monitor their personal bubble. I might ask them: “How high can you send your awareness? To the ceiling, to the roof, all the way outside? How far below, or to the sides, can you sense? Can you be aware of all of the directions at the same time?” I also work on this awareness of space through listening. I have students practice listening to the sound above their heads, out in the audience, or in the middle of an ensemble. I may encourage students to explore the vibrations of the music through their hands, feet, legs, and chest, and to imagine the sound waves enveloping them. Trying too hard can lead to tunnel vision and a limited awareness of space. These awareness games show students that an alternative is possible. 

Benefits 

Just because we are trying hard does not mean we are going anywhere. Students who think “try harder” are like new swimmers who thrash at the water, expending loads of energy without any results. Learning constructive effort organizes and coordinates desire, allowing students to work toward their goals more effectively. Avoiding the hazards of over-trying also reduces injury. It gives students the tools to notice the beginnings of unnecessary tension before it becomes physically harmful. Happily, this is a self-reinforcing approach. As students release tension, their sound improves and it gets easier to play, motivating them to release even more. Discovering constructive effort helps students play with greater ease and poise. It underpins the value of making mistakes as we learn and grow. Hopefully, thinking “try harder” less often and experiencing a new sense of constructive effort will help our students in all of their endeavors.