How to Succeed
at Private Lessons |
Playing an instrument and making music is a lot of fun and can be very rewarding for the rest of your life. Like any other activity in your life, however, the more effort you put toward a goal, the more rewarding it will be. Taking private lessons is the quickest and most effective way to improve and experience the rewards of being a string player. Unlike other subjects at school, there are many aspects of string technique that need to be individually taught and refined by individual attention from a teacher. It is not really possible for Mr. Robinson, Mr. Pope or Ms. Wormser to provide this in a class setting. That is why all of them recommend taking private lessons if you are able.
If you are lucky enough to take private lessons, you will want to make the most of them. This is simple, if you follow a few basic recommendations. These include:
Create a schedule for yourself. Put up a calendar, get a pocket organizer, create a reminder on your computer just be creative! Go through each month, and note when your lessons are. Find any conflicts that might occur due to other activities, such as sports, youth groups, etc. Discuss these right away with your teacher. It might be possible to adjust your lesson time for the conflict, or you might have to miss a lesson. Either way, a plan will help you avoid last minute changes that could cause difficulties for you or your teacher. Check your calendar daily, and come up with a good way to remind yourself of lesson days.
Get organized. Find a place at home to put your instrument, music, shoulder rest, metronome, music stand, tuner, strings, mutes, music bag and any other music supplies. Try to make it a habit to keep your things in the same place. This will go a long way towards making it easy to find what you need to practice, and to gather up for your lesson.
Always bring your instrument, music and any other supplies requested by your teacher to every lesson. Students who continually forget to bring their music or their instrument or other supplies are wasting their teacher's time, their own time and their parents' money. These students will not make progress, which can make lessons very frustrating and unsatisfying for everyone involved.
Make a practice plan. If you are taking lessons, practicing must become a priority in your life. Look at your weekly activities, homework, tests, school projects and other responsibilities, and figure out how you can meet your weekly practice goal. Without a plan, you will end up like many other kids, telling your teacher you were too busy to practice. No one is too busy to practice. But unless you PLAN to practice, and make it a priority to get it done, it won't happen. The biggest difference between people who achieve success on a regular basis in their lives, and those who don't, is having the discipline to make a plan and learning to set priorities.
Spend your practice time wisely. Everyone is short on time, and wants to accomplish as much as they can in the least possible time. This requires wisdom. Your teacher has the training and wisdom to help you progress as fast as possible. Each week, during the lesson, your teacher will help you prioritize your practice goals, and give you clear instructions about how to carry them out. DO WHAT YOUR TEACHER SAYS! Your teachers have spent most of their lives studying music and are highly trained specialists in helping students learn as fast as possible. If you do what they say, you WILL get better! It's that simple!
Seek inspiration. Do you have trouble getting motivated to practice sometimes? All of us do. How do you overcome this inertia? By seeking inspiration. Make an effort to listen to music you love, however you can. The greatest inspiration often comes from attending concerts. There are so many opportunities for inspiration in our community. Take advantage of them. If you can't make it to a concert, listen to music on the radio, or buy CDs of your favorite pieces. All musicians need to seek inspiration at times. Find what inspires you. Seek it out. It could be playing music informally with friends, or playing in your church group. Inspiration comes in many forms and is different for everyone. Discover what works for you!
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Violin
Melissa Allen: 219-9142
Robyn Burton: 379-0240
Shannon Daniel: 233-0299
Allyson Finck: 983-6408
Louise Hough: 984-8733
Viola
Melissa Allen: 219-9142
Robyn Burton: 379-0240
Shannon Daniel: 233-0299
Allyson Finck: 983-6408
Cello
Sarah Cline: 681-6500
Katie Middleton: 385-7879
David Pope: 384-8338
Bass
Li Ting Sankey: 670-8539
Harp
William Lovelace: 688-3502
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