In the business world, the worst explanation a leader can give for their decisions is “because we’ve always done it this way.” The “way we’ve always done it” is comfortable and familiar, the tried-and-true approach, by definition, gets the job done, and of course, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In many cases, “the way we’ve always done it” isn’t necessarily wrong, it just doesn’t allow space for innovation and growth.

The because-we’ve-always-done-it-this-way mentality is as pervasive in music as anywhere else, but we have two articles in this issue of Harp Column that show what can happen when the status quo is turned on its head. 

Businesses aren’t the only ones that can be trapped in the comfort zone. I think most of us could give the “because I’ve always done it this way” explanation for why we do lots of things. When you find a formula that works in your life, you stick with it. This is a smart strategy…until it isn’t. Situations change and evolve, and sometimes standing pat stops being the best approach. The because-we’ve-always-done-it-this-way mentality is as pervasive in music as anywhere else, but we have two articles in this issue of Harp Column that show what can happen when the status quo is turned on its head. 

I will admit that I was skeptical when Adam Hockman first wrote to me about the work he does to help musicians improve their practice habits. We have done dozens of articles over the years about how to practice, and I’ve heard all the strategies—or so I thought. Hockman is a behavior scientist and works as a practice and performance consultant at the Heifetz International Music Institute at Mary Baldwin University in Virginia. He helps musicians improve their practice and performance quality using strategies to structure practice, measure progress, and develop complementary non-musical skills. 

But here’s the part that piqued my interest: the strategies he uses are supported by scientific research. He doesn’t claim to have a silver bullet, nor is this an anecdotal shot in the dark. Hockman uses an approach called interleaving. 

Inter what? 

Hockman explains it this way: “Interleaving is a time-test approach to structuring practice whereby you intermix practice tasks after a certain number of repetitions or minutes.” 

Huh?

In 25 years of writing about, reading about, and applying practice techniques, I had never heard the term interleaving. Hockman explains it beautifully in his article “Potent Practice Plan” on pg. 16. Not only does he lay out what interleaving is and how you can apply it to the music you are practicing, but he also details how to test if the strategy works and what to do when it doesn’t. Interleaving is a little counterintuitive to the way most of us have always practiced, but the potential growth in practice efficiency it can offer makes it well worth the effort to explore.

After you finish Hockman’s article, turn the page to read the next article in this issue, On Top of the World. You’ll find another example of what can happen when the well-established way of doing things evolves. 

In this article, we talk to the top three winners of the World Harp Competition (WHC), Juanjo Corbalán of Paraguay, Julie Rokseth of Norway, and Maria Sá Silva of Portugal. International music competitions have long restricted competitors to narrowly defined genres (e.g. classical pedal harp, Celtic lever harp, etc.), all performing the same prescribed repertoire. The WHC organizers threw out the old competition playbook. WHC competitors could perform on any type of harp they chose and could perform any music they wanted. Each of the winners performed on a different type of harp—Corbalán on a Paraguayan harp, Rokseth on a lever harp, and Sá Silva on a concert grand pedal harp—and each played a vastly different style of music. 

Did the WHC succeed in creating a better competition than the other established international harp contests out there? You’ll have to decide for yourself, but it did prove that you don’t have to operate a prestigious competition the way they’ve always been done to discover great musicians the world needs to hear. 

I’d call that success. •