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What SAT prep, sports practice, and piano lessons all share:
You might not know it yet, but SAT test prep has a lot in common with soccer practice. Or piano lessons.
Whether it’s archery, swimming, football, wakeboarding, cheerleading, or cello - every kid has something they’re passionate about.
Every high school student and parents knows the experience of wanting to learn something - maybe to even become the best at something - to practice, study, train, compete, and win.
What makes the SAT test any different?
What if we just saw test prep as a skill like any other - a skill that follows the same pattern of gradual learning and achievement that all other skills have in common?
Maybe it would make SAT prep seem a little less scary.
So, let’s look at the 10 reasons why SAT prep is just like learning to play piano.
1. Hours of practice time are required
Here’s a thought: could I ever get good at the piano without hours of practice? Of course not.
Kids should stop beating themselves up for not being great at the SAT the first time they take it. That would be like me giving up on the piano because I couldn’t play beautiful music the first time I tried.
Same thing when I started playing lacrosse in high school! I couldn’t catch or throw very well the first time I tried. But, after 12 months of daily practice sessions, you better believe I had gotten pretty good (and confident, too!)
Let’s be realistic about SAT prep from the beginning. Let’s admit that improvement - in music, sports, SAT, anything – takes a lot of time spent in practice sessions.
2. Frustration management is key
Speaking for myself, there have been a lot of frustrating moments over the years as I learned to play classical piano. That one section of the piece that my hands were never fast enough for.
It can sometimes take weeks of practice to cross a threshold of skill. We all have to trust the process of learning, and that can be frustrating.
Looking back, I can see that managing my own temporary frustration was a key part of pushing through and continuing to make progress - whether we’re talking about piano or SAT prep.
It’s frustrating when things don’t work out right away. This issue comes up in piano, basketball, and SAT prep. But it’s ok to be frustrated during the learning process - it’s just not ok to give up.
3. A good coach or teacher saves years
Out of the 12 years I spent studying classical piano at a fairly serious, high level - two years stand out above all the others as the years that I made massive improvements. These were the two years that I had my best piano teacher!
My other teachers might have been good, but this one teacher in particular knew what I needed in each lesson, and in those two years I made more progress than the previous five years put together.
It’s the same with the right tennis coach… or the right SAT prep tutor. The learning curve can get so much easier with a great instructor who can help you cut your bad habits and save time and energy.
4. Cross-train related skills to improve faster
Are you practicing for football season? Then hit the track and the weight room. Studying cello? Then piano lessons can help your sense of harmony.
Trying to improve your SAT score? Then include free reading, vocabulary, and focus/attention drills to work on closely-related skills.
The point is, don’t just work on the skill itself - you should also work on the related skills that surround it.
In my own case, I can say that learning to sing has actually helped me become a better pianist - by cross-training related skills of melody, phrasing, and breathing patterns.
Plus, it’s fun to change things up for variety’s sake and work on similar, but different activities!
5. Real progress is always possible with time and effort
One of the best lessons we learn in our youth is that actual progress is possible as long as we’re willing to put in the necessary time and energy.
Sports, music, and SAT scores are three classic ways that different types of kids learn this lesson.
Yet all three demand real effort - not just the appearance of effort.
A kid who hates doing homework (and doesn’t get great grades because of it) may be more than willing to work for hours on his tennis serve. Not just that, but the tennis serve will probably end up looking pretty great, because of the time and focus he puts in.
SAT prep is just the same as that tennis serve! Just like with sports and music, real progress definitely happens once you put in the required time and energy.
6. Rehearsals prep us for the real thing
As a pianist, it was essential that I play some “mini-performances” for my friends and teachers before I gave the big show to the full audience.
Likewise, an athlete might play in a friendly scrimmage before the big game.
In SAT prep, we take mock practice tests - delivered in a similar style to the “real thing” - so that students have reference experiences of going through the complete test and pacing their energy and focus.
Practicing isolated skills is good - it helps us break down the specific problems that are holding us back - but there’s also no substitute for integrated practice and rehearsal of the complete picture.
In sports, music, and SAT prep - all share the same need for realistic pre-performance rehearsals to reach our maximum potential.
7. Performance under pressure matters
One of the best skills I’ve learned from high-level piano performance is the art of grace under pressure.
Now, piano is certainly not the only way to learn this skill. It can come on the athletic field, it can come from social experiences, it can come from test-taking or SAT prep.
The important thing is that to succeed as adults, each of us had to develop the skill of calm, confident performance under pressure.
Getting that 2400 isn’t much different than throwing the game-winning touchdown. When all the cards are on the table, will we “choke” or will we put on our game-face and win?
8. Self-fulfillment and achievement are the results
Nothing feels better than making yourself proud. (Except, maybe, seeing your kids be proud of themselves).
SAT prep, music, and athletics are some of the time-honored ways that our youth learns the beauty of self-respect and pride in our accomplishments.
We might not all get a perfect 2400, but every student deserves to experience the pride of seeing their SAT scores rise - and knowing that they’ve earned it through hard effort and study. That’s what makes it really count.
9. Scholarships and honors come along for the ride
One great lesson we learn from sports, music and SAT prep is that we are sometimes rewarded for our efforts. I’m not just talking about “spiritual” rewards - I mean cold, hard cash or scholarship money!
Our excellence in performance is highly-demanded by the top colleges and universities. If we can throw accurate passes, perform difficult sonatas, or ace “impossible” questions, it’s very likely that schools will offer us money or perks in order to attend.
Self-improvement is important, but so is paying for college! Every high school student should know that they can earn financial rewards for themselves by deciding to excel.
10. Valuable life-long lessons to learn
One of the time-honored reasons for playing sports is to learn the life skills that come with being part of a team. Good sportsmanship, hustle, teamwork, sacrifice.
It’s the same with piano. The lessons go far beyond the instrument: art history, patience, phrasing, time-management.
And, it’s the same with SAT prep. The lessons last a lifetime: focus, vocabulary, reading skills, grammar.
SAT Prep, Sports, and Music - not so different after all
The point is, surprisingly, SAT prep isn’t so “different” from these other extracurricular hobbies.
The whole “SAT prep thing” has so much stress and anguish surrounding it, but at Love the SAT! we don’t think that it has to.
After all, we know deep down that learning to be great at anything is going to take some time and effort. We’re going to need a good teacher. There will be some frustrating moments. We will need to practice and rehearse.
But in the end, if we put in the work, we will emerge stronger, and - if we have truly prepared - we will emerge victorious, in whatever form that victory may take.
SAT prep, piano lessons, athletic contests - to separate these skills is to make a critical mistake. They are more alike than different.
And, by seeing the similarity between SAT prep and hobbies that kids really enjoy and work hard at, we may set more realistic and successful expectations for SAT prep that will help our students succeed.
What’s next for parents and students?
We want to help you, so we hope you don’t just read this article and nod your head, we hope you also take action today!
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