I took piano lessons as a kid. I also had to learn piano theory, it wasn’t fun for me and I never understood the purpose of the theory work.
I was taught about notes and trebles and staffs and I took several exams from Royal Conservatory. I was graded and sent on to a new grade in piano school.
I often wondered what was the point? I was there to learn to play piano, not write music.
I have since learned that theory exists everywhere, and through my adult eyes I see that theory is a lot easier than application.
We all “know” our manners, we know we should exercise regularly, eat healthy food, meditate, be productive, play nice in the sandbox, and smile instead of frown. But the application is much harder.
It’s feels so good to learn and to grow and to progress in life. But progress doesn’t come easily if you don’t know the theory, and if you haven’t applied it.
There comes a point when what we know isn’t enough and we need to learn more to move forward, to understand the theory behind it all. But there also comes a point when we have learned enough that it’s time to go out in the world and apply it.
Keeping tabs on where you are at in your growth cycle is important, do you need to learn more right now or do you need to start applying what you’ve already learned?