“To provide students with the skills they need to enjoy music throughout their lives”

How to Make the Most of Your Music Lessons

It’s common knowledge that some students excel in music lessons while others don’t. In truth, it’s not whether your child has genetic talent. They don’t have to be a prodigy to excel in music. The deciding factor on whether a child will be successful in his or her music lessons is their environment, both at home and at lessons. This article will discuss the best environment in both situations: what to look for in a music teacher and studio, as well as how to create a positive environment for at-home practice.

Before you even begin looking for a music teacher, let your child know that you are as excited as they are to begin lessons. Avoid saying anything that suggests they will not stick with it or that you’re just going to “try it out”. If there is already an end in sight when the student begins lessons, they won’t go far.

Be selective in choosing a teacher. Most music teachers are friendly people who enjoy working with children. The most important thing is to be sure you, your child, and the teacher want the same thing out of lessons.  If your child is more interested in learning his instrument so he can play Harry Potter songs, don’t choose a teacher who is all about competitions and concertos. From the very beginning, tell the teacher what you hope lessons will be like for your child.

Choose a teaching environment that isn’t distracting. If you choose a teacher that teaches in their home, your child may be distracted by noises in other rooms, children in the house, or interuptions from the phone. A teacher that comes to your house might be convenient, but students take lessons less seriously, are more easily distracted, and have more behavior problems at lessons than children who come to lessons. A studio setting is best.

Attend as many of your child’s lessons as possible. It’s no strange phenomenon that kids who’s parents attend the lessons weekly do better, progress faster, and stick with it longer than kids who are just dropped off and picked up every week. If you’re at the lessons you can help your child at home, even if you are not musically inclined. Sometimes all it takes is repeating what you heard the teacher say at lessons. You might not feel like you are very much help, but just the fact that you are there will signal to your child that music lessons are important to you, and in turn they will be important to your child.

Make sure your child practices. It may sound easy, but more children don’t practice as much as is recommended than do. For most beginning to intermediate students, the recommended practice amount is 30 minutes a day, five days a week. (Your teacher won’t complain if you do more than that.) For advanced students, 45 minutes or more is better.

Repetition is key to improvement. This works best for practicing and perfecting individual songs as well. Have your child play one song through several times in a row. Work on trouble spots and have them keep a goal in mind as they play it. (i.e.: “Okay, good. Now play it again and let’s do the soft parts even softer.”) Going through each piece once does little, if anything. Children who practice their instrument a lot are the kids who enjoy playing their instrument, and vice versa.

Reward your child for completing goals. Even if it’s just praise, be sure to let them know that you appreciate their hard work. Ask them to play for you and others. Come to their recitals. Acknowledge when they complete a level or a difficult piece.

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