I bring my child to lessons each week, why isn't he/she progressing?

I hear this question A LOT.  As educators, we all want our students to do their very best. Whether they are graphic artists, musicians, fencers or soccer players. The art of doing something well is in the doing. To master something, you must do it well repeatedly. The repetition (in the correct way) is what makes the lesson (whatever the lesson is) stick. Each of our educators has their own point of view on the "Art of Practice" and we will share them in this blog post.

I sometimes ask my students or their parents if they only brush their teeth twice a year when they visit the dentist. Of course this is met with laughter, eye rolls, "of course not's".  Yet sometimes, our students think that just by attending a once a week lesson they will become a great pianist, or violinist, or vocalist.

That's just not the case. Would you want a mechanic who had never looked under a hood fixing your automobile? Would you want the neurosurgeon who had only taken one semester of courses operating on your spine? These ridiculous questions are when I would want to hear a resounding OF COURSE NOT!

Think about when your child (or even YOU) started writing your letters.  Remember that repetition?  Tracing an upper case A 20 times?  Or those workbooks your Mom used to buy you over the summer?  Coloring within the lines (practice).  Using scissors (practice).  

Don't expect that you (or your child) would be able to master the craft of their instrument by only touching it at their lesson. We want them to succeed. We want them to arrive and leave with a smile on their face from a strong sense of accomplishment. This can only be done by honing their craft at home. Please have them work at their music for at least 10 minutes a day. If they say that they don't know what to work on EMAIL US and we will advise you. Now, go make some music!  Ms. Sandie  

I always tell my students that practicing a musical instrument is no different than anything else they do in life; if they only do it once a week or only every once in a while, there's little chance of them getting better at it. I explain that the reason their teacher gives them homework is so they can practice what was taught in class. If they didn't do the homework, they wouldn't remember what the teacher taught. If you only play soccer at the games and not in between, you probably won't play as well. If something is important to you, you need to take the time to work at it. Nothing happens by magic. Not even magic; you have to practice that too. Good teachers want to see their students succeed, not just in the final performance but every time they do something. Good teachers want to see their students try their best. Ms. Stacey

Music lessons are only meant to give you the tools necessary to play music. You need to take those tools home and use them to improve your music. A major league baseball player did more then show up to his little league game once a week when he was younger. A famous baseball player like Alex Rodriguez was only able to hit 696 home runs because he picked up his bat and practiced in between those little league games. You're music teacher can only show you how to play your instrument. YOU have to play what he or she showed you before your next lesson so you can learn something new and better. You can take lessons with great piano players like Alicia Keys or Billy Joel but unless you open your book and play your piano for just a few minutes a day, you will never play the piano. Even if you watch Tv, play video games, and text your friends for 5 hrs. a day, practicing your lesson for only 10 min. a day will add up to someone who can actually play music.  Mr. Dan

Why practicing is so important is because when there is practice during the week on a regular basis there is growth not only in your playing but in your note reading..technique..and in your confidence as a musician as well....poor practicing makes the lesson not only miserable for the musician but for the teacher as well...all the hard work the teacher spent teaching most likely goes down the tubes and it is a lesson wasted and the students money wasted...practice is VERY important to maintain a well balanced lesson and to make the teacher know that they are teaching you the best that they can....thank you for listening... Ms. Joanna  

Practice is so important as a musician. It helps us learn new concepts as well as reinforce ones we learned previous. As a teacher I still practice daily it helps me focus on the basics. The basics are your building blocks, and teaching and practicing them keeps yours polished. I tell all my students if you get frustrated walk away do something else and then come back and try again. If it's still too difficult don't stop practicing just circle the tough parts and go on to practice something else. When you get to lessons we can go over the trouble parts together. By not practicing at all it can turn out to be really frustrating in the long run for the student, teacher and parent when the student may not be progressing. Communication is key and if all involved are on the same page it helps. We as teachers are here to help, but we are not at home  with you to remind you to practice.  Try a practice schedule if it seems hard to get practice in. Having practice as part of a daily routine can help. In my  house it's after dinner before baths. Whenever you practice has to work for you but not practicing leads to frustration for all. Keep practicing and keep up the awesome work!!   Ms Gina