Trying to decide between a few different studio
options to enroll at?
5 Ways to get the most out of music lessons.
These guidelines will help you to have a successful, rewarding experience learning. These are practical tips that we have discovered from years of teaching and our experience with teaching hundreds of students each year.
1: How young is too young? - Starting at the right age.
Adults can start any instrument at any time. Their success is based on how willing an adult is to commit to practicing. For children, starting at the right age is a key element to the success of their lessons. Some people will tell you “the sooner the better”, but this attitude can actually backfire and be a negative. If a child is put into lessons too soon he or she may feel overwhelmed and frustrated and want to stop lessons. The last thing you want to do is turn a child off to music just because they had one unpleasant experience which could have been prevented. Sometimes if the child wait's a year to start lessons his or her progress can be much faster.
2: Insist on private lessons when learning a specific instrument.
Group classes work well for theory lessons. However, when actually learning how to play an instrument, private lessons are far superior. In private lessons, it is hard to miss anything, and each student can learn at his or her own pace. This means the teacher does not have to teach a class at middle of the road level, but has the time and focus to work on the individual student's strengths and weaknesses. For that lesson period, the student is the primary focus of the teacher. The teachers also find this more beneficial, as they do not have to divide their attention between 5 to 10 students at a time.
3: Take lessons in a professional teaching enviroment.
Learning music is not just a matter of having a qualified teacher, but also having an environment that is focused on music education. In a professional school environment, a student cannot be distracted by television, pets, ringing phones, siblings, or anything else. With only ½ to one hour of lesson time per week, a professional school environment can produce better results since the only focus at that is learning music. Students in a school environment are also motivated by hearing peers who are at different levels, and by being exposed to a variety of musical instruments. In a music school, the lessons are not just a hobby or sideline for the teacher, but rather a responsibility which is taken very seriously.
4: Make practicing easier.
As with anything, improving in music takes practice. One of the main problems with music lessons is the drudgery of practicing and the fight between parents and students to practice every day. Here are some ways to make practicing easier:
Time:
Set the same time every day to practice so it becomes part of a routine or habit. This works particularly well for children. Generally the earlier in the day the practicing can occur, the less reminding is required by parents to get the child to practice.
Repetition:
We use this method quite often when setting practice schedules for beginners. For a young child, 20 or 30 minutes seems like an eternity. Instead of setting a time frame, we use repetition. For example, a student can be told, “Practice this piece 4 times every day, and this scale 5 times a day”. The child then does not pay attention to the amount of time her or she is practicing the instrument, but know if he or she is on repetition number 3, the student is almost finished.
Rewards:
This works very well for both children and adult students. Some adults reward themselves with a cappuccino after a successful week of practicing. Parents can encourage children to practice by granting them occasional rewards for successful practicing. In our school, we reward young children for a successful week of practicing with stars and stickers on his or her work. Praise tends to be the most coveted award-there just is no substitute for a pat on the back for a job well done. Sometimes we all have a week with little practicing, in that case, there is always next week.
5: Use recognized teaching material.
There are some excellent materials developed by professional music educators that are made for students in a variety of situations. For example, in piano, there are books for very young beginners, and books for adult students that have never played before. There are books that can start you at a level you are comfortable with. These materials have been researched and are continually upgraded and improved to make learning easier. These materials ensure that no important part of learning the instrument can inadvertently be left out. If you ever have to move to a different part of the country, qualified teachers and institutions will recognize the materials and be able to smoothly continue from where the previous teacher left off.
HAVE FUN!
Music should be something that you enjoy for a lifetime.
So try not to put unrealistic expectations on yourself or your
children to learn too quickly. Everyone learns at a different pace,
and the key is to be able to enjoy the journey.
