Piano and Brass Lessons in Asheville, NC

A Simple Trick For Better Practice Habits

When I checked in with my students at the end of the year many of them told me they’d like to practice more in the coming year. This is my trick for making sure I practice a little every day. Maybe it will work for you too.

Practice Jar

I have a glass jar that I put one marble into every day I practice, and take a marble out for every day I don’t. That’s it, it’s super simple!

I don’t want to lose marbles because it’s a visual of my progress, so rather than having to take one out I’ll practice for at least 5 minutes so I can put one in instead. Once I get going I usually want to continue.
I like this trick because I know it’s more effective to practice a bit each day than for a long time all at once.

Of course this will work with small objects other than marbles and you can even add incentives for filling the jar. Adjust and customize to your liking. It works for me, let me know if it works for you!

Can My Child Take Piano/Music lessons If They Don’t Have Time To Practice?

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Do you want your child to learn an instrument but worry that they won’t have time to practice or you don’t want to force them to? Maybe they’re already taking lessons but both student and teacher are frustrated because of the lack of practice and progress. Whatever the reason, your child is not going to practice. Can they still take music lessons?

The answer is yes, if you find the right teacher and have realistic expectations.

Find a Good Fit

Practice really is important to learning an instrument, so some instructors take it very seriously, going so far as to have signed practice contracts or elaborate practice incentives. This is why you need to be upfront with a teacher if you know your child will not have time to practice. Some teachers will not take you on, and that’s okay. You want a teacher who’s excited to teach your child anyway, right? Find one who’s on board with you.

I always encourage good practice habits but I personally don’t mind if a student doesn’t practice as long as they are focused and engaged in the lesson itself. I teach students who practice 5-7 days a week and students who never pick up their instrument between lessons. The ones who don’t practice can struggle more, but if they’re willing to do the work in the lesson then I’m excited to do it with them. They can still make progress each week and we can have fun together and be creative. Students who come ready to focus can still challenge themselves and have a musical experience.

Adjust Expectations

A student who doesn’t practice will likely make slow progress when it comes to being able to play new music, but that doesn’t have to be the only goal of taking lessons. A teacher with a comprehensive approach to music literacy will have more tools to engage with a student who doesn’t practice. Improvising, composing, ear training, and theory games are all worthy musical activities. These options, other than simply playing tunes, give your child the opportunity to choose and delve into the activities they really enjoy, at least once a week.

Of course they also get the benefit of challenging themselves each week along with a personal music coach who’s always happy to see them, whether they’ve practiced or not. Expect progress, just slower, and not necessarily the type of progress that’s easily heard.

Give It Time

The motivation to practice may come on its own, with time. Music is a long-term activity. Many times, students will experience a shift where they eventually become self motivated to practice. It also often happens that students who were once very excited to practice lose motivation, especially as teenagers. These shifts are to be expected over the years. Don’t let a lack of practice stop you or your child from pursuing music. Find a teacher who can get on the same page, then expect fun, musical, creative lessons during this period rather than a standout performance at the recital. You won’t regret it.

Check out Victoria Boler’s blog below for more great tips for parents.

https://victoriaboler.com/blog/2015/11/24/four-reasons-your-kids-hate-piano-lessons-and-what-to-do-about-it

Easiest Composing With A Brand New Music Student

Absolutely anyone can compose with a little help. That’s great news! Even better, the process of creating music is good for your brain, your musicality, and music literacy. It feels good too, giving us a sense of ownership and accomplishment.

There are a mix of instruments in my studio. I teach piano, trumpet, trombone, and guitar. Practically all of my beginners compose a short melody within the first three lessons. I’ve also done this type of composing with elementary music classes learning xylophone and recorder. Here’s what it looks like:

Pick Notes

Once the student has learned to play three notes I ask them if they’d like to write a song. Most students show a mix of surprise and excitement at this question. I tell them it will be super simple. We take the three notes they know and I ask them which one they’d like to start with. (Instead of notes, you may use finger numbers, chords, or even high/middle/low or three percussion instruments they can play. There are so many possibilities, depending on what you teach them first. I’ve used notes here for simplicity.) Depending on their age, one of us writes down what they chose.

I continue by asking what they want to go next. Will it be the same note or something different? They will tend to assume they need to pick something different unless I give them the option to use the same note twice in a row. If I want them to use their ears I might play the first note twice in a row, then the first note with the other two options and ask which they liked best. We continue adding until they have at least eight notes in a row.

Play and Listen

Once they have 8 notes written they play their tune to hear what it sounds like. If they play it slowly I will play it back for them so they can hear the whole thing. I ask them what they think of it. If there is time I ask if there are any notes they want to change. Usually my students are happy with what they’ve got, but if they do want to change any notes we switch them out and play it again.

I congratulate them on writing their first song! Playing your own song is great reinforcement for those first notes learned and kids are often eager to show it off to their friends and family.

Add To It

I usually ask next if they can think of a title for their song and if they want to add words. You can add the words with one syllable per note (some students will do this naturally) or one word per note.

Maybe next time you meet you can add bar lines and note heads under the letters. After that maybe add another eight notes and dynamics. Take it a little further. The student doesn’t have to know all of the symbols yet but you can help to make it look more like real music notation, and they will be proud to see their work looking professional.

This type of composing is so easy, but a beginner will relish these early successes and will likely be more open to composing in the future once they get a taste of how fun and easy it is.

Try it and enjoy!

Leave a comment to let me know how you compose with beginners.

7 Adult Beginner Music Student Tips

When adults come to me for music lessons they come with a lot more background, knowledge, and skills than my young students, who can start as early as three years old. Adults have advantages. They can often grasp concepts quickly, are more dextrous, and have a lot of experiences to draw from. They also usually have a good idea of what they want to get out of lessons (specific songs or styles they want to learn) and can communicate that with me. Unfortunately, an adult’s confidence can easily turn to frustration when they don’t see as much progress as they’d like.

While learning (or relearning) an instrument can be incredibly fun and rewarding at any age, here’s what adult students should know to increase the likelihood of a positive and musical experience:

1) Commit to Weekly Lessons

Adults tend to be less consistent about coming to lessons every week at the same time. Of course you’re busy and sometimes other things take priority, but like so many things in life, just showing up is more than half the battle. Only cancel or reschedule lessons if you really need to and you and your teacher will be happier for it. Most places will charge for cancellations because they are holding the slot for you, so it’s to your advantage to get your money’s worth. Bottom Line: Show up mentally and physically every week.

2) Be Playful

Musicians love to play. When learning a new skill as an adult there will be things that come very easily and things that are frustratingly out of reach. In order to make progress you must be willing to try things and fail. I guarantee you will not like the sound of everything that comes through your fingers, vocal cords or mouthpiece, so adopt a playful attitude, be willing to laugh at yourself, and be kind to yourself. Trust me, professional musicians do not sound professional 100% of the time if they are working on advancing their skills. Bottom Line: Learn to love the process.

3) Carve Out Realistic Practice Time

Setting aside some time to review what you worked on in your lesson ensures that you don’t have to go through the same lesson week after week. Having a set practice time is helpful to be consistent and more days per week is more beneficial than a long time spent in one day. Be realistic about what you can do and communicate that with your teacher. Don’t feel guilty if you feel like you can only set aside fifteen minutes two days a week. A little bit goes a long way as long as you are consistent. Bottom Line: Don’t practice when you have the time, make the time to practice.

4) Set Small Goals

When you come in with the goal of playing the Moonlight Sonata and instead find yourself working on basic notes and fingerings it can be difficult to hear and feel the progress being made week to week, but I assure you it’s there. In order to feel that forward motion more tangibly set small goals that can be accomplished in a week, such as practicing for three days in a row, learning the fingering of a song for one hand, or playing a simple song accurately in slow motion. Of course you can surpass these goals and set new ones, keeping your larger goals in mind. The more goals you achieve the more your brain is rewarded and is motivated to keep going. Bottom Line: Setting and achieving small goals can save you the frustration of trying to tackle too much at once.

5) Learn the Language

Music is a language all its own. Expect fundamentals like reading notes, rhythms, and identifying chords to take up part of each lesson, but not the whole thing. Listen to music! Try listening to the music you are working on, music you love, and music you are unfamiliar with. Just as hearing adults speak as a child helped you learn the language, listening to musicians play will hone and expand your musical vocabulary. Watch musicians you wish to emulate. When you see their posture, confidence, and technique and try to recreate that in your own playing it can make a big difference. Bottom Line: Learning music involves more than learning to play songs.

6) Get Physical

Music is both a physical and mental activity. Sometimes we assume that a skill is easy to do just because it is easy to understand. While it might take a few seconds to mentally understand the hand shape of a chord, your fingers will need a lot of repetition to make that shape feel comfortable and automatic. It’s a great idea to isolate and repeat these physical skills, just like a tennis player working on her serve. Your mind is not very good at multitasking, so once things like scales, chords, and patterns become automatic you will be free to focus on ways to be more musical, like dynamics, articulations, and phrasing. Bottom Line: Repeat physical skills until they are automatic.

7) Find the Right Teacher

You probably have a good idea of what you want to get out of your lessons. It may be as specific as learning to play and sing a love song for your wedding, or as general as wanting to play for yourself to unwind at the end of the day. The main thing adults can do that children generally can’t is communicate exactly what they want to gain from lessons, how long they can spend on lessons and practicing, and what kind of teacher they are looking for. Music teachers will generally accommodate your goals, but each teacher has their own specialty and style, so go ahead and ask if they are the type of teacher who can push you hard and hold you accountable. Remember, though, that this is a give and take relationship. Be willing to try things you are skeptical about. You may be surprised at where it leads! Bottom Line: Decide what outcomes you are looking for and get your teacher on the same page.

Are you an adult beginner? What has your experience been like?

Check out this video for more great info on adult beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jAM2PZ2xgg