Fixed vs. Growth Mindset: What Carol Dweck’s Research Means for Band Directors

 

Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist, explains how our beliefs about our abilities shape our success. Her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, centers around two core mindsets:

Fixed Mindset

People with a fixed mindset believe their intelligence, talent, and abilities are static. They avoid challenges, give up easily, and see effort as pointless. Criticism feels personal, and other people’s success may feel threatening.

Key traits:

• Avoids failure at all costs
• Hides mistakes
• Views talent as innate
• Says: “I’m just not good at this.”

Growth Mindset

Those with a growth mindset believe abilities can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence. They embrace challenges, learn from criticism, and are inspired by others’ success.

Key traits:

• Seeks out feedback
• Views failure as an opportunity
• Enjoys learning and growing
• Says: “I can improve with practice.”

Why It Matters

Your mindset affects how you approach school, work, relationships, and even parenting. Dweck shows that those with a growth mindset achieve more because they’re more resilient and open to learning.

In schools: Students praised for effort (rather than intelligence) are more likely to take on hard tasks and bounce back from failure.
In music: Musicians with a growth mindset push through obstacles and continue to improve.
At work: Teams that value growth and learning outperform those focused only on natural talent.

Practical Takeaways

• Praise effort, strategy, and progress, not talent.
• Replace “I can’t do this” with “I can’t do this yet.” (See the BDTS free “YET” posters here!
• Challenge yourself regularly—even when it’s uncomfortable.
• Embrace mistakes as part of learning.
• View criticism as useful information, not a personal attack.

Here’s a FREE set of “YET” posters for your band hall!

Practical Takeaways You Can Use in Your Band Hall Today:

• Shift your praise: Instead of “You’re so talented,” try “I love how you stuck with that challenging passage until it flowed.”
• Normalize struggle: Add “yet” when students express doubt: “You’re not ready yet, but every time you practice, your getting closer.”
• Build a culture of learning: Shift band philosophy from “winning matters most” to “learning matters most.”

This summary just skims the surface. I highly recommend this book for reading or listening too. As a full-time band director, I consistently consumed 40+ books a year by listening on Audible. If you haven’t tried it out yet, you can try it out here at the BDTS affiliate link for a great deal.

Want more suggestions for books for band directors to read? Check out this list!
Books for Band Directors