Get a great instrument teacher and you’re all sorted, right? Well, it certainly helps, but have you ever thought about what it means to be a good student? After all, a good student with a great teacher has to be the most awesome of combination for your learning. Here’s a few points to consider:
1) Be prepared:
This is pretty obvious but “can I borrow a pick” and “I left my music at home” are very common phrases that we hear from students. Why not keep your music in a folder? Get some spare picks (they only cost a dollar or so). Make sure your instrument is well maintained. Make sure you’ve worked on any exercises your teacher has set you. Come to your lesson on time, get tuned up before you arrive or while you are waiting. It all helps make the lesson run smoothly.
2) Practice (you knew it was coming, eh?)
After many years of intense study, top scientists and musicians have made the groundbreaking discovery that the secret to being a great musician is PRACTICE. Who knew? But seriously—it really does make a difference. Even 10 minutes a day. But let’s make a pact—let’s not call it PRACTICE; let’s call it PLAYING. PLAY your instrument for 10 minutes a day. PLAY something you like, something easy, something harder, something new. (That sounds a bit better than PRACTICE. Agreed?)
3): Be open-minded
Your tutor made be old and seem out of touch, but there’s a good chance that they have experienced some stuff that you may not have. Why not see if you can learn from that experience? Your tutor may use styles of music that you are not familiar with or wouldn’t listen to yourself, but there’s a good reason why those pieces were chosen. Be open-minded about learning different genres, and styles too. Many pop artists over the years have taken influences from previous generations and amalgamated them into new, modern, genres.
4) The Beatles.
Listen to the Beatles. Always listen to the Beatles (according to Mark!) They manage to cram a lot of musical goodness into their songs. There’s a lot to learn from them!