Cognitive Cost of Excellence by Dr. Anita Collins

Written for Issue 011 of Fireworks, read more here: https://www.biggerbetterbrains.com.au/fireworks

The summer holidays, no matter which hemisphere you live in, are often a time of renewal and rest. Here in Australia, I am basking in the afterglow of a holiday at the beach, weeks of sleep-ins, and a slower-than-usual pace of life.

But there is still that mild trepidation of “winding up again” to the pace, bordering on frenzy, that I know is coming when school resumes.

This is not an unfamiliar feeling to music teachers around the world. We tend to operate at a much higher level every day than many other teachers.

There is only just enough time in the day, and often we push the boundaries of what can be achieved in a single day, especially as we lead into concert or assessment season.

Time and time again, I come across music teachers who are achieving amazing things, juggling multiple projects, timelines, and needs like a boss, and while they express that they are tired, they are equally motivated to do the very best job they can.

Through the big research lens on the front of my face, I wonder how much of their personal musical training has contributed to music teachers being able to operate at this high level for years, and often decades.

From the outside, someone else might say, “Well, they are so passionate about their work, and that motivates them,” but from all I know about human motivation, passion dwindles pretty quickly—usually when things get tough.

But music teachers forge onwards and see things through right to the end, and then rock up again the following year to do it all again!

Music teachers have something special working within them, something that makes it possible for them to operate at a higher-than-normal level for an extended period.

They don’t just love what they do; they are tuned to be a high-performance vehicle in the classroom or rehearsal room.

Were they born this way, or did their musical and non-musical early life train them to be an F1 racer with a baton and whiteboard marker?

I will admit my bias, but I think learning music in childhood would have set a music teacher’s brain up for high-performance success.

Learning music improves our working memory—that temporary file of things we need to remember to function through the day. When I think about music teachers, they have multiple tabs open all day long, toggling between them as needed, getting everything (okay, most things) done.

Learning music enhances our time management skills. I have never met anyone who is better at timetabling or using every minute available to get the job done. I often think that if music teachers were in charge of the school timetable, things would go a lot smoother and be a lot more equitable.

Learning music enhances self-regulation—our ability to deal constructively with the ups and downs of our professional and personal lives.

When a music teacher gets that email that upends weeks of careful planning, they might throw a little bit of a tantrum, but very quickly, they find the solution that will make everything work as closely as possible to what is needed. Those problem-solving skills, which are part of cognitive flexibility, are also significantly improved through learning music.

All this adaptability, high performance, and flexibility comes at a cognitive cost, no matter how effectively your brain functions. The brain likes doing the same thing daily because it is easy and takes little cognitive energy.

The brain also likes challenge and novelty because it grows and learns when the unexpected occurs. However, the brain does not like constant predictability or constant uncertainty. It constantly searches for a balance between these two extremes.

As I hold onto the sense of calm that has come from my summer holiday, I am thinking about how badly I managed those extremes in 2024. Uncertainty was high and constant; predictability was low and infrequent.

I pushed my own working memory, cognitive flexibility, self-regulation, and time management beyond the point where I could function effectively.

I suspect other music teachers do the same regularly and vow to book a holiday earlier and take better care of themselves.

I suspect that because we can operate at a high level more of the time, we abuse that ability and then find ourselves in a place where our cognitive health is not at its best.

Yet I know that what drives me is the new and exciting. As Ryan Reynolds says, "Limitations are a wonderful creative tool" and "Too much time and money can be the enemy of creativity."

I like being pushed to create something—a concert, a product, a presentation—with what feels like not quite enough time or resources.

But I also need to balance that with time to let my brain rest, to let my F1 car idle, and to refuel the cognitive energy I will need for 2025.

As you come out of summer holidays, or look towards them, I hope you can think about where your cognitive regeneration is going to come from, and then timetable it into your life.

Put your own oxygen mask on first, so your students can benefit from a music teacher who is ready for everything that comes their way.