Student: Darcie Sol Ayala Tapia

Portfolio Item 2
Write a paragraph about one of the following topics.
• 2) Daniel Levitin states that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve
true world-class expertise. Nevertheless, many people have put in that
amount of practice in their fields and still have not achieved world-class
expertise. Why do you think they were not successful? What makes the
experts different from the others who have also put in 10,000 hours of
practice? Explain.
Answer:
Focusing on the quantity of time practicing is not enough because not all type of practice
leads to improved ability and not everyone begins with the same conditions. First, Daniel
Levitin in his studies doesn’t consider the differences between deliberate practice and
generics practice, though that fact can make a big gap. For instance, if you decided to get
better at playing piano, you may choose to study a lot of music theory and practice songs,
but this will take you much more time in comparison with someone who has expert
support. That’s why deliberate practice often guided by a skilled coach who helps you to
adjust your technique and execution over and over would lead you to get closer to your
goal. Second, there are other criteria, such as genetics and age, that make not all people
start from the same place. Some studies carried out by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden,
tested more than 10000 twins on their basic music abilities and they estimated that genes
had influenced 38% of the musical skills measured. This does not mean that practice does
not help to improve, but the truth is that not everyone can become an expert by practicing
10,000 hours. In addition, as with language learning, it could be a beneficial to start to
practice something in childhood because this is a time when complex and advanced skills
are easier to internalize. To conclude, at the time to consider achieving mastering a certain
field, it is necessary to take into account the type of practice and the initial conditions
regarding a person's abilities, instead of considering just the famous 10000 hours.

References:

o Clear, J. (2019, 10 June). 10,000 Hours: How Experts Practice Better Than the
Rest. James Clear. https://jamesclear.com/deliberate-practice-strategy
o Miller, M. (2022, 21 June). The Great Practice Myth: Debunking the 10,000 Hour
Rule. Six Seconds. https://www.6seconds.org/2022/06/20/10000-hour-rule/