My Least Favorite Lesson

Lisa had been making moderate progress since she started learning the flute a year ago. She generally completed all of her weekly assignments, participated in one or two recitals a year, and she wasn't sitting last chair in band. Recently, however, she'd been practicing more often, and her tone and note-reading skills had noticeably improved. She had even moved up a chair on her last playing test.

"Keep up the good work!" I say at the end of her lesson. "See you next week."

"Yeah," she says.

The next week, we're back at square one. She had only practiced two out of seven days. She forgot the correct fingering for the high D and went back to her old way of doing it. Her tone quality had taken a hit, too.

"Pull up your long tones," I say, trying to hide my disappointment, knowing I'm in for a long thirty minutes. "Let's get started...."

Lessons in which it's clear the student hasn't practiced and I know I'll be repeating myself, or worse - telling the student things they already know - are my least favorite. Unfortunately, these sorts of lessons are all too common, and I know I'm not the only teacher who wishes they weren't. Our students make great progress after a particularly good week of practicing...only to be brought down again the following week. The lack of consistency is progress-hindering and therefore frustrating for the student and music teacher.

Now, I don't mind teaching my students, especially young kids, how to practice. It's actually the most important skill I can help my students develop - even ahead of good tone and technique. Why? Because if you are a good problem-solver and critical thinker, and can learn to develop the discipline it takes for continued growth, there really is no limit to what you can learn and the music you can play. This goes for anything in life, actually.

So how can we avoid frustrating lessons?

For Students:

1. For starters, practice your instrument every day! There is no shortcut to excellence. Even students who are "naturally musical" will hit a wall when they reach a point where their talent can't compensate for lack of hard work. Trust me, I've seen this happen, and it makes me sad because I can see how far that student could go if they'd only apply themselves!

2. Ask for Help. If you are unsure of how to approach your practice, ask your teacher! "How do I practice this" is genuinely one of my favorite questions to answer in a lesson, ever. It shows me you are taking responsible for your musical growth and want to approach learning in a systematic, efficient way. Once I answer the question, though, the work's all up to you.

3. Trust your Teacher. Quick question to all music students: have you read your teacher's bio lately? If not, you might want to read it again. Your teacher knows what he or she is talking about. When he or she assigns homework, it's not because they love hearing Rubank exercise #289 for the umpteenth time, or to make themselves look better to your parents. It's because they know their method works. If you went to the gym, you would follow your personal trainer's fitness plan, right?

For Teachers:

1. Invest Wisely. Every lesson we teach, we are investing time and energy in our students' progress. This is why for new students I believe it's so important to spend at least a couple of lessons on the subject of "how to practice." Without this foundation, students could develop bad practice habits which will ultimately hinder their progress.

2. Keep Tabs. Most of my beginning and intermediate students use what I call a "Practice Passport," in which they record all of their weekly assignments. They only get a stamp in their passport if they practice five out of seven days. I also send lesson notes to both student and parent using MyMusicStaff so everyone can see what we've been working on.

3. Use Your Allies. You only see your student once a week, but your students' parents see them every day. They have as much (if not more) influence on how often their child touches their instrument when at home. Developing a relationship with your students' parents is a great way for everyone to feel like they're on the same page regarding practice habits.

In Conclusion

Students, don't be like Lisa! And teachers: let's avoid putting more Lisas out into the musical landscape, to the best of our abilities!

I've said it once and I'll say it again - practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.