People are born with inherent talent — myth or fact? Let's turn to the examples of two fantastic people: gymnast Gabby Douglas and child prodigy Michael Kearney. They have reached great heights in their respective fields. Doing one's job so skillfully is an innate gift, isn't it? Yet research shows a different result. Most skills can be developed through gradual practice. Hard training and continuous improvement are the best tools for making the grade.

Take Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who impressed the world with his musical nature. When other children were learning to read — this boy won the hearts of listeners at seven years old. He had perfect hearing and could identify every note in any pitch and performance. A little child was a genius. How else to explain such a phenomenon? One could come across such talent only once in 10,000 musicians.

The authors are supporters of the opposite opinion. Nature does not endow people with the ability to catch the highest note. It is a skill that can be acquired through practice. You can train your hearing to incredible levels. The study of the Japanese psychologist Sakakibara was striking in its results. A man decided to teach 24 children aged 2 to 6 to distinguish 14 chords on the piano. They worked productively for several hours every day. The Suzuki method was a base for the whole process.

This experiment bore its fruit. The children had the opportunity to define every note on the piano. The indicators of their skills were impressive. Studies have proven that they possess a powerful acuity of hearing.

There is a difference: Mozart can identify a note from any instrument, while children only hear from the piano. The meaning of the experiment is still the same. If you want to learn something, you need to put in maximum effort. Not all of us are born Mozart, but we can become one. Time, stubbornness, and determination are our faithful assistants.