When Music Becomes Its Own Reward | Why real motivation in music education doesn’t come from gamification

In an interview, when asked what strategies he had developed to recharge his creative energy, pianist Evgeny Kissin replied with complete earnestness: “I have never felt like I need to recharge my creative energies. Physical energy, yes - but the creative energy is always there. It comes from the music itself.”

Here's the interview, in case you'd like to watch it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfj1D91wM8E

I haven't been able to shake this idea since I first watched the interview a few weeks ago!

Of course, many musicians do find inspiration from beyond the score - from other arts, from nature, from literature, from spiritual life, from community. These are meaningful and necessary sources of renewal. And yet there is something deeply compelling in Kissin’s conviction that the music itself is sufficient. Music is not merely a vehicle for motivation. It is not a means to some external reward. It is an end in and of itself.

This runs slightly counter to the prevailing trend in modern education, especially children’s education, where we are encouraged to “gamify” everything. Sticker charts, practice points, digital badges, leaderboards, treasure boxes. External rewards layered on top of the work in hopes of making the process more engaging. In a desperate attempt to make students care, I have fallen into this myself!

I understand why this approach exists. Learning an instrument requires patience, repetition, and sustained focus - all things that can be difficult, particularly for young students. Gamification can provide structure and short-term encouragement. Used thoughtfully and sparingly, it can even be helpful.

But I sometimes worry that, when taken too far, gamification subtly sends the wrong message: that music itself is not inherently engaging enough, and must be sweetened with something else. This message runs counter to every belief I have about art.

My current working model of motivation is surprisingly simple: people enjoy doing things well. When a student looks closely at the music, practices with care, listens attentively to their teacher (assuming they have a good one), and begins to hear real improvement, enjoyment follows naturally. There is a deep human satisfaction in competence, in clarity, in expressive sound, in shaping a phrase beautifully. Good music, played well, is intrinsically rewarding.

In other words, motivation does not always precede effort. Very often, it emerges from effort.

So if we are going to talk about “gamifying” music education, I would argue for a very different kind of game.

Not points and prizes, not unrelated challenges pasted on top of the music.

Instead: play with the music itself.

Engage with the story of a piece. Who is speaking? What is happening? Is this a dance, a march, a confession, a joke, a storm, a prayer?

Explore character, colour, texture, historical context, composer intent, emotional landscape. Ask students to experiment: What would this sound like if it were whispered? Declared? Sung by a cello? Played in a cathedral? Played in a tiny room?

Children are capable of this far earlier than we sometimes assume. By age three, most children already understand narrative, character, and dramatic play. They instinctively experiment with voice, gesture, and emotion. Translating that instinct into sound is not an advanced conservatory skill.

It is artistry, plain and simple.

When students engage with music this way, they are not being distracted from the work - they are being invited deeper into it. Technique gains purpose. Practice gains direction. Expression stops feeling like an abstract instruction and becomes a natural outcome of imagination!

Music does not need to be made more palatable.

It already contains humanity: drama, humour, architecture, mathematics, poetry, history, and human emotion. Our task as teachers is not to disguise the medicine, but to open the door and help students see what is already inside.

Perhaps the goal is not to eliminate gamification entirely.

Perhaps the goal is to redefine the game - so that the reward is not something added to the music, but something discovered within it.

This is ultimately why serious music study has always been about more than performance. When students learn to listen closely, shape phrases thoughtfully, and engage deeply with the character and structure of a piece, they are not only learning notes - they are learning attention, judgment, patience, and perception. In the fullest sense, they begin to develop the mind through music.

If this approach to music education resonates with you, consider talking with your child’s teacher this week about the story behind the piece they’re learning. Ask what the music is trying to say. Ask what character it might have. You may be surprised how quickly practice becomes more focused and more meaningful.

And if you’re looking for a studio where musical understanding is treated as seriously as musical skill, we would be glad to speak with you.