Practice Habits and Development of
Professional Musicians

A Study of Mature Musicians Aged 40+

            What we discovered: Musicians maintain strong growth mindsets throughout life, practice can be simultaneously challenging AND enjoyable, but injury prevention remains a critical gap
        

Ray Lindquist | January-October 2020 | 19 Professional and Amateur Musicians

The Central Question

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

Most music research focuses on young students in formal training

But what about musicians in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond?

Do they still believe they can improve?
How do they structure their practice?
What keeps them motivated?

The Study

19 Professional &
Amateur Musicians

63% Aged 60
or Above

10 Months of
Data Collection

Participants from: Malmö Opera, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra,
and accomplished amateur musicians across three continents

Research Context

Data collection: January - October 2020 (with one outlier interview in December 2023)

Before Pandemic

9 participants interviewed face-to-face
(January-February 2020)

During Pandemic

10 participants via online questionnaires and video interviews

Mixed-methods approach: Quantitative surveys + rich qualitative insights
Majority of data collected in 10 months during 2020

THREE KEY DISCOVERIES

1. Musicians maintain powerful growth mindsets regardless of age

2. Practice can be effortful AND enjoyable (challenging existing theory)

3. Injury prevention is a critical gap despite high injury rates

Finding #1: Growth Mindset Thrives with Age

4.09 / 5

Average growth mindset score (significantly above neutral)

What this means: Professional musicians at all ages believe musical ability is developable through effort and practice—not fixed by "talent"

This growth-oriented perspective appears fundamental to sustained
musical engagement across the adult lifespan

Finding #2: Perseverance Powers Practice

GRIT Scores

Overall GRIT

3.89 / 5

Perseverance of Effort

3.71 / 5

Critical connection: GRIT scores significantly predicted energy levels during practice—psychological determination translates into physical and mental resources

Practice Habits: The Numbers

5.4 Hours/Week
Primary Instrument

84% Play Secondary
Instruments

82% Practice
Enjoyment

Wide variation: 0-25 hours per week
Musicians allocate ~1.5:1 ratio between primary and secondary instruments

CHALLENGING EXISTING THEORY

Anders Ericsson's Deliberate Practice Theory states:
"Deliberate practice is NOT inherently enjoyable"

Our finding: 82% practice enjoyment

Finding #3: Practice Can Be Effortful AND Enjoyable

The discovery: Mature musicians report 82% average practice enjoyment while engaging in goal-directed, challenging practice

What this suggests:

The creative and expressive nature of music may allow for integration
of effortful, deliberate practice with intrinsic enjoyment

This represents a potential refinement to deliberate practice theory

CRITICAL GAP IDENTIFIED

Finding #4: The Injury Prevention Paradox

50%

of participants have experienced practice-related injuries

The paradox: Despite high injury rates, formal injury prevention measures remain inconsistent across the cohort

Many musicians lack systematic pre-practice routines
or structured approaches to physical well-being

General Health Profile

Health Indicators (Scale: 1-5)

Positive Mood

4.47

Overall Health

3.79

Stress Management

2.63

Critical finding: Neither GRIT nor growth mindset protected against stress—musical resilience doesn't automatically transfer to stress management

Psychological Skills During Practice

Strongest Areas

Belief/Confidence: 3.78/5

Energizing: 3.68/5

Musicians demonstrate strong self-efficacy and effective energy management

Development Area

Focusing: 2.64/5

Concentration and attention management emerged as areas for potential improvement, even among experienced professionals

Who Were the Participants?

58% From Sweden

42% Ages 60-69

Instruments: Woodwinds (26%), Guitar (26%), Drums/Percussion (16%),
Strings, Voice, Bass, Brass, and others

Geographic diversity: Sweden, South Africa, United States

The Research Circles

            Participatory research design: Research participants were invited to four monthly research circles
        

Timeline: September - December 2020

Purpose:
• Share collected data with participants
• Jointly learn from each other
• Engage with invited subject matter experts in Musicians' Health and Sports Psychology
• Collaborative knowledge generation and quality control

This participatory approach ensured findings were grounded in musicians' lived experiences and vetted by the community

Implications: For Musicians

Embrace lifelong learning: Your ability to improve doesn't decline with age if you maintain a growth mindset

Practice can be enjoyable: Don't believe the myth that effective practice must be unpleasant

Prioritize injury prevention: Develop systematic warm-up and cool-down routines before injuries occur

Address stress management: Musical skills don't automatically protect against life stress—develop separate coping strategies

Implications: For Music Educators

Cultivate growth mindsets: Emphasize that musical ability develops through effort, not just innate talent

Make practice engaging: Challenge + enjoyment can coexist—design practice that's both effective and intrinsically rewarding

Teach injury prevention early: Don't wait for problems—integrate physical awareness and prevention into curriculum

Support whole-person development: Address psychological well-being and stress management alongside technical skills

Implications: For Researchers

Theoretical Contributions

• Refinement of deliberate practice theory

• Musical practice as special case where effort and enjoyment integrate

• Growth mindset persistence across lifespan

Future Directions

• Mechanisms of enjoyable deliberate practice

• Injury prevention interventions

• Longitudinal tracking of practice trajectories

Study Limitations

Sample size: 19 participants—findings need replication with larger samples

COVID-19 impact: Pandemic affected recruitment and methodology (9 face-to-face, 10 online)

Geographic concentration: Strong Scandinavian representation may limit generalizability

Cross-sectional design: Captured snapshot rather than developmental trajectories over time

Self-report measures: Relied on participants' subjective assessments rather than objective performance measures