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hmad Dhani is a talented musician-cum-entrepreneur. He cofounded a legendary Indonesian band, Dewa 19. Either with a band or solo, he has composed a lot of memorable songs.

Having turned down borrowing money from a rising female singer he helped promote, he founded Republik Cinta Management (RCM), an artist management company. He envisioned a just and formal contract between a singer and a promoter. Later, he expanded his business to a school of music.

He has become a judge in Indonesia Idol, a reality TV show. He selects the contestants and gives feedback on their performances. His comments are often harsh, to the point, and sometimes contemptuous.

However, I see something different in his comments '€” high-quality advice based on a psychological theory.

Dhani said our highest ability would always be about one level below our favorite singer. Benjamin Franklin, an American founding father, adopted the same method to master writing skills. After reading an article he admired, he tried to emulate the article with his own words.

The judge also challenged contestants to name 10 international female singers.

If they could name them, they would secure golden tickets (to Jakarta for a further selection phase) without singing any song. It is about immersion '€” total involvement '€” in the search to acquire skills.

This method was inspired from language learning. Shinichi Suzuki observed that children can easily learn their mother tongue because they are exposed to that all the time. Later, Suzuki applied this method of immersion (and repetition) to mastering music '€” called the Suzuki Method.  

Dhani suggested a participant learn one English-language song each week. It is about deliberate practice coined by K. Anders Ericsson, an American psychologist.

One aspect of deliberate practice is to practice beyond one'€™s existing capacity.

Lastly, Dhani commented to a contestant from Medan that she could really sing, but didn'€™t have the voice of a singer. A voice of singer denotes innate talent. It gives rise to the longstanding debate of nature versus nurture. Some experts believe hard work is the best predictor of success.

Research shows some great musicians or sportspeople have innate talent, but this view doesn'€™t completely defy the merits of hard work.

Success is the combination of inner talent and hard work.  

Erwin Wirawan
Tangerang, Banten