31 May Elements of a Good Music Lesson
Everyone wants to have a “good” music lesson, and they would like to know how to identify one. Several elements can help form a great piano lesson, helping to expand the student’s musical knowledge and expertise as well as feeding their passion for music.
- Passion
- Passion is incredibly important for both the teacher and the student. The music instructor should have passion for music and teaching music, while the student should be passionate about the type of music being learned. This is what drives the student and instructor to be better musicians.
- Challenge
- There’s no progress without a challenge! For example, if someone wanted to bulk up at the gym, they won’t get anywhere by only lifting 5 lb. weights. It’s important for instructors to push their students to work harder.
- Goals
- In order to progress at a natural pace, setting realistic goals is an excellent way to master a piece. Not only should you set goals for the lesson, there should always be short-term goals (e.g. daily or weekly) and long-term goals (e.g. monthly or yearly) to set. In a way, it’s motivational because there’s always something to look forward to.
- Variety
- You’ll never be a true master of your instrument if you limit yourself to playing only one artist or one genre. Branch out your interests! Maybe you’ll find something new that you never knew you liked.
- Experiment
- It’s great to be familiar with stylistic conventions, but you shouldn’t be irrevocably bound to them. Instead of working toward one “correct” interpretation of a piece, try to be conscious of the choices you’re making when deciding the tempo, dynamics, articulation, etc. Always demonstrate curiosity and thoughtfulness over dogma.
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