Music lessons are, of course, the best way to learn to play a musical instrument. That being said, lessons can be quite costly, depending on your instrument. It’s for this reason that you’ll want to maximize each and every session. To get the most out of your lessons, it’s not only what’s going on in class that matters, but what you so outside of class that makes the real difference in your progress. It all comes down to how you prepare and if you’ve been putting what you learned to good use!
Making music should always be a great experience, so to make sure that you get the most out of your next music lesson, and each one after that, we’ve compiled a list of the best ways to prepare yourself before class even begins. That way you can learn to play your instrument faster and more easily.
Get Yourself Organized
This is a pretty simple concept that pays big dividends. Basically, you should have all your music supplies together and ready to go before your class begins. You should think of every individual moment that you are in the classroom (or that your teacher is there with you) as valuable learning time – you won’t want to waste it looking for your book, supplies, or, worst yet, your instrument. The best thing to do is to arrive at class early enough that you have the time to get organized – you might even try getting all your supplies ready the evening before. Trust me, you’ll feel more at ease knowing everything is where it is supposed to be.
Practice!
Practice is, of course, one of the most important things to do as a musician, regardless of your skill level or the amount of experience you have. Practice is even more critical for those taking lessons – in fact, it’s essential when learning a new instrument. There will be days when you may feel like you don’t have the time, but the best way to make sure you always have some time to practice is to make up a schedule. It’s highly recommended that you spend at least an hour practicing, three to four times every week. Whether you decided to schedule that time over the weekends, or sometime during the week, in the early morning hours, on your lunch, or in the evenings. is entirely up to you – whatever works for your schedule and learning is best.
Practicing on your own helps you to keep up with your instructor more easily during lessons. Each lesson usually builds on the concepts that were learned in the previous session, so when you practice and perfect what you learned the week before, you come to class prepared and ready for the next challenge.
Set Goals
Every musician has goals! Some of them are grand – like playing in front of a packed stadium, others more simple – like mastering a particular chord progression, but goals are always important. Each week you should try writing down what it is you would like to accomplish. Is there a particular song you’ve been wanting to learn that is a lot harder than the level you’re currently at? You can make this song your goal. Maybe there’s a technique you’ve been working to perfect – that’s a great goal too. Setting, and recording, goals is an excellent way to help you stay accountable on your journey to learn your new instrument. Remember to share these aspirations and goals with your instructor, that way they can help you chart your progress and reach your goal.
Review Your Progress
Writing down your goals is important, but you’ll never know how close to reaching them you are if you don’t keep track of your progress. One of the best ways to do this is by keeping a measure of your progress every week after class finishes. There are a few different ways this can be achieved. You can play for your instructor as ask him or her for feedback directly. They will be open and honest with you, and will most likely offer some advice on practicing techniques and other methods to help to get even closer to your goals next week. If your lessons or classes are part of a group, and you’re not too shy about it, you can also try playing for your entire class, and ask you student peers for their feedback as well. You might be surprised at some of the advice you receive from other students – you’re often going through the same struggles without even knowing it, and someone else may have found a solution that works perfectly for you too. Another way to measure your progress is to record yourself and listen to the playback. If you keep a critical ear you should be able to hear where you’re doing well, and where you might need a little improvement.
The Music Studio is dedicated to helping our students learn to play their instrument the right way, in a fun and exciting environment! We offer a huge variety of private and group lessons and classes for adults, teens, children, beginners, and professionals. We’re proud to be Toronto’s one-stop-shop for music education!
