10,000 Hours

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, Gladwell examines the factors which contribute to high levels of success. Gladwell repeatedly mentions the “10,000-Hour Rule” claiming that the key to success within any field is simply a matter of practicing that specific task for a total of 10,000 hours.

As a quantitative thinker, I like the idea of a certain number of hours of work holding the key to success better than the qualitative idea of working hard and when you are ready, you’ll be ready. So naturally, I began to think about singing and performing in terms of 10,000 hours.

As a singer, you are not simply being judged based on the quality of your voice. Your diction, musicality and technique are constantly being evaluated. Beyond singing, your acting and dancing ability, as well as physical appearance are subject to harsh criticism.

So as I pursue a career as a performer, all of these requirements weigh heavily on my mind. Do I need 10,000 hours of practice in each subfield required of me as a performer or 10,000 hours total? 10,000 hours of Italian, French & German diction, 10,000 hours of vocal technique practice, on top of 10,000 hours of acting and dance training begins to feel overwhelming and near impossible. So which subfields require mastery and which can be strategically faked?

Mastery of vocal technique in an operatic setting cannot be faked or negotiated. While the rest of the subfields can sometimes be successfully fudged (just listen to some of the horrendous diction of operatic superstars) vocal prowess is a non-negotiable requirement. As for acting and dancing, we have all been subjected to the “park and bark” tendencies of opera singers.

As a performer, I will always strive for perfection – knowing full well that this is impossible. Having accumulated 60,000 hours of total practice in the various dictions, technique, acting and dancing by this point in my life would have been impossible. Yet, while I am not a master in any one of those fields I’ll keep attempting to be the total package and one day, I’ll hit 60,000 hours.