Learning any new occupation, hobby, sport, or technical subject requires a series of steps to proceed through to an outcome.
Playing music is no different.
Every outcome is dependent upon what we are willing to put into it.
In learning music the outcome is dependent upon many factors, but one that has a significant impact is ownership.
  To explore ownership we need to look at the various aspects of the learning process.
  What Is Taught Is Not Ownership   In music studios and class rooms a myriad of music elements and theory is taught.
Every student is relying on the music teacher or musician to provide a path to get to the outcome of  improved skill and technique in playing.
  So often the teacher may even feel they have failed the student.
I would submit this may even be true to the extent that the idea of ownership of the outcome is basically the students and by extension their parents.
  I do not make this claim light heartedly.
I have experienced this very problem with my own child as I became so busy I didn't pay enough attention to the progress and allowed the attention to slip away in other distracting avenues.
Teaching the Knowledge Is Not Enough   I struggle with the idea that we can impart all this knowledge on the student, but that there is always a muddling through.
We talk to them and try to impress that they need to practice more, study a bit harder, and concentrate on the specific tasks to improve their playing.
  This brings me back to the ownership requirement.
I can speak from personal experience that it is easy to slip into I'll get to it later syndrome.
I did it on many occasions.
It wasn't until I had decide to take on a big project and learn three movements of a Beethoven Sonata did I actually move into the ownership realm.
  Focus On the Outcome   When I started focusing on the outcome an attitude change took place.
I didn't even ask about how to approach the goal.
I decided that I would work different movements at the same time and that we'd start with parts and sections that were easy to define in my mind as completely accomplishable form lesson to lesson.
  Doing It Through Ownership   This focus and determination put me in the seat of ownership.
I was completely responsible for the outcome I had created.
This was even more reinforced when I would go into a lesson and my teacher would simple say:  "So what do we need to work on today to move you to your goal?"   Can you see where just that one question told me I was the owner of my outcome.
It wasn't her goal, it was all mine.
Ownership was completely mine.
  The issue is to determine how do we get others to take that same ownership.
I submit that it's in not defining the goals for the student.
It's in having the student define the goals they are going after.
  It will take some time to explore what the student can achieve and help them realize it can be achieved.
Let's all take some time to think about the outcome and how our own ownership is the key to really making it happen.