SusanGaSonG

Learning stuff about yourself can be scary, sometimes it can be painful, like when we aren’t ready to look at something, and sometimes it can be really interesting. Especially when it turns out to be something that answers a bunch of questions. Of course then, when it’s something that should have been so obvious it can be… exasperating, frustrating, a relief, and even a little mind blowing all at once.

I have to take a test for a certification for the day job. I tried doing this last year and was unsuccessful and frustrated. I found it such an unpleasant experience that instead of being determined to pass the test, I went off and did something else, not day job something, just education something. The requirement to pass the test, raised it’s ugly head again this year. Much to my frustration and anger.

I don’t have a very high opinion of certification tests. In my opinion, they are not a demonstration of actual ability. To me they just show how much of the book you can regurgitate. This is personal opinion mind you, shaded by the frustration of not being able to read the book for said test for more than three paragraphs before finding myself nose planted in the middle of same book, snoring.

Were this a new thing I would think I was just being childish. However, this isn’t a new phenomenon. I’ve had the same experience over many years with a variety of subjects, even with subjects I was excited to learn about. I’d be all enthused to start on something, and by the time I was three chapters into the book most of my enthusiasm was gone and frustration had started setting in. By the way, I have a similar experience in lecture and video presentation situations as well.

With the need to pass this test looming and frustration at reading the same paragraph 15 times growing, and yet knowing the primary way to study for this test was/is to read this book, I was desperate. I had to figure something out.

On a fluke one day, I had some drum sticks in my hands as I was reading and I was beating in time with the music I had playing when I realized that the stuff I was reading in the study book was starting to stick, and make sense. And I found that things that were on the test, but I swore weren’t in the book, actually were. So drumming while I’m reading makes the stuff stick. Ok. If it works I’ll keep trying it. After sharing this with my Mother and her suggesting I look up a few things, I finally found something on learning styles. Holy cow.

Short disclaimer here. I’m not an educator. I’m not trained in this area of study. I have not done extensive research on the topic. Though I did do some research to verify that what I was reading tended to correlate across the writings I found.

In layperson terms, and as it relates to me, here’s how I understand learning styles. For this explanation, there are three primary learning styles. I specify this because I’ve come across discussion of more. But these seem to be generally agreed upon as the primary ones.

There is the visual learner, who learns quite well or best just from reading. This appears to be the largest percentage of the population. There is the auditory learner, who learns best from video or lecture presentation or even audio books. They are the next largest percentage of the population. And there is the kinesthetic learner, who learns best from activity and is the very smallest percentage of the population. As I understand it, most people are combo learners that favor one method more than another. Those that are kinesthetic learners require activity, and often movement and learn best from doing, mentoring, and apprenticeship. Ask them to learn from a text book, a lecture, or video presentation and they are likely to fall asleep.

There were a lot of characteristics about the kinesthetic learner given. How they learn and what they go through trying to learn in a traditional setting. Also, what some of the advantages people who learn this way actually have. It was fascinating to finally find the information that actually applied to what I have experienced. It was also exasperating to realize that I had been saying so many of the things that describe a kinesthetic learner about myself over the years and it seems no one has been listening to me. Not even me.

You’re probably thinking, ‘well have you tried…’. Trust me, other than drugs stronger than caffeine, yes, I probably have. What seems to be most effective, at least for me, is to doodle during lectures or things I just have to listen to, and for things I have to pay visual attention to like reading or video presentations, drumming. Now I have a way to pass this test. I hope.

If you’re wondering how this has anything to do with music or my current experiences with going to the blues jams and all that has been going on with that, well, it turns out, it’s kind of the ideal environment for me. People with the kinesthetic learning style tend to learn from doing and from activity. They think well on their feet. They figure things out. They make good Firemen. If you think about what is required for that job you can get an idea of some of the traits involved.

So, when I get up on stage at a blues jam and I’m just another guitar player, I’m not singing, and someone says lets do this song. Once I know what key it’s in and some basics about the tune, I’m good to go. I really don’t have to know the song to join in and have a good time. As I learn more songs, and more skills I find I get even more comfortable with this. And I’m still learning.

Don’t get me wrong. That doesn’t mean I show up at a jam and just jump in without any preparation. That’s not the case. I don’t have that level of skill yet nor am I arrogant enough to think I can pull something like that off. No. I practice. I spend the time and make the effort to improve my skills, and learn new techniques and styles.

The Blues Jam is great because, by definition, it focuses on the Blues. The Blues has some basic frameworks that most songs fit within. This makes just getting up and playing, with a small set of skills, a fairly easy thing to do. I need to know what key, and a rough idea of the rhythm and I can give you something to play over. Not as heroic as running into a burning building, but, it requires some of the same traits. And, though, I am reasonably comfortable doing that with the Blues, I’m not there yet with other genres. Not everything is as forgiving as the Blues can be when it comes to still growing skills. It can also be really
rewarding when you find you have the right tools in your musical toolkit to really rock a song. So I practice. And I work to fill my musical toolbox. And if I don’t have the tool yet, well, I just figure it out.

Last bit. I’ll be posting videos from the last Blues Jam soon. I was able to knit together the one that was split with very little difficulty thanks to Adobe Premier. Yay! We’ve got another week or so before the next jam and I’m still working on getting better at the vocals for ‘The Sky is Crying’. I’m also working on a new one that was suggested. I hadn’t really encountered it before but it’s quite a fun tune, ‘Down-Home Blues’. I’m still a little rough on the vocals and trying to find a good key for me. I’m looking forward to playing and singing this one. I think it will be a lot of fun.