We’re all busy people, and busy schedules can get in the way of practice. Sometimes it’s not even busyness; the days just slip by and we don’t even look at our instruments. If a whole week (or more!) has gone by and there has been no practice in your household, you might have the knee-jerk reaction to just cancel the lesson, do better at practicing in the coming week, and then pick up next week.
This is absolutely a bad idea.
First, if a student hasn’t practiced for awhile, it may be very difficult to jump right back in and practice effectively. Imagine being taught a new concept in math, not revisiting that concept for a week or more, and then going back and trying to solve the assigned problems. Memory fades, the work may be sloppy, or you simply might not remember what to do. If the goal is to learn to play pieces well, having a lesson to review the previous content and practice together is usually the fastest way to success.
Second, music lessons with LionWhale are not just about learning to play individual pieces. If, after reviewing the previous work, it is clear that the student is on the right track to practice independently, the rest of the lesson time can be used for some of the following:
- Theory
- Scales
- Critical listening
- History (and not just music history)
- Ear-training
- Improvisation
- Composition
- Reviewing previous pieces/songs to build repertoire
I could keep going, but you probably get the idea. And please remember — each one of these activities builds skills that will boost your child’s performance in other areas. There is SO much that our teachers want to cover in lessons that most students could have a lesson every day and we would still wish we had more time.
So, next time, if you feel like a lesson might be a waste of time or money, be assured it is absolutely not! Feel free to give your teacher a heads-up so he or she can work on a plan for the lesson. But rest assured, we have oodles ways to engage and teach students whether they have practiced or not!
Leave a Comment