Philosophy
It's important to recognize that not everyone comes to the teacher with the same experiences, natural gifts or learning styles.
Older students, for instance, often have thinking systems - problem solving techniques - that they've developed over the years that make them successful in their fields. The problem is that learning music doesn't use any of those techniques. Even though it seems like "knowledge is knowledge," it isn't. Music has the ability to confound people. That goes for young students too.
It's up to me to explore the student's mind to find the best way to explain what are sometimes baffling concepts about playing and about theory (the nuts and bolts of how music is made).
The best thing a student can do is to let me feed them essential pieces of knowledge one digestible bit at a time. Those pieces are sequential. You must know the first bit in order to understand the next one. If you interrupt the order that I lay those bits of knowledge in, you will be frustrated and you'll slow your progress down. You must trust that I'm telling you what I'm telling you for a reason. This is especially true when learning theory.
Older students, for instance, often have thinking systems - problem solving techniques - that they've developed over the years that make them successful in their fields. The problem is that learning music doesn't use any of those techniques. Even though it seems like "knowledge is knowledge," it isn't. Music has the ability to confound people. That goes for young students too.
It's up to me to explore the student's mind to find the best way to explain what are sometimes baffling concepts about playing and about theory (the nuts and bolts of how music is made).
The best thing a student can do is to let me feed them essential pieces of knowledge one digestible bit at a time. Those pieces are sequential. You must know the first bit in order to understand the next one. If you interrupt the order that I lay those bits of knowledge in, you will be frustrated and you'll slow your progress down. You must trust that I'm telling you what I'm telling you for a reason. This is especially true when learning theory.
How long and how frequent should lessons be?
I'm often asked whether a student should take half hour lessons or full hour lessons. Then occasionally I'm asked if it would be OK to study every other week.
How long?
Regarding the first question, it depends on a couple of things. Are you new to the instrument? Are you an adult or a child? Is money an issue?
A 8 year old child who is new to an instrument may not be able to focus for more than a half hour, while an adult probably will. It depends on the student in either case.
If age or money isn't an issue, I make the observation that, for someone trying to make some real progress, 30 minutes really isn't enough. Usually, things just start cooking by the 29th minute, then you have to leave. Doing an hour will give the teacher time to elaborate on insights rather than having to rush to make a point.
Students on a career track in music are wasting their time studying for half an hour. I, as a professional, have never studied anything for half an hour.
Having said all that though, by all means, do what's comfortable for you.
How frequent?
It's typical to have a lesson once a week.
Some people want to study every other week. If it's a money issue, it's understandable. However, to actually learn, there is a certain momentum by going weekly that is clearly lost going every other week. Every-other-week lessons create an environment where the student starts from scratch each time. (It's hard enough to motivate kids to practice for a once-a-week lesson.)
Periodically, I'll I'll have a student that wants to come every other week for an hour. Usually it's an adult. It makes sense; they want an hour lesson but it's too expensive or inconvenient to come every week.
In a case like that, I would recommend coming to me each week for half an hour. The reason is part selfish; it causes such a schedule burden for me to make that hour available every other week that I'd need another person to serendipitously need the exact opposite schedule, otherwise, I'd be sitting idle on those days.
But, as far as benefiting the student, doing a half hour every week maintains their momentum and reduces the loss of retention that would occur anyway. The ultimate goal is for the student always to move forward.
How long will it take?
Interesting question.
If you're in school... high school or college... you're allowed 12 weeks to achieve the requirements for the course. After passing all the tests and quizzes, it's obvious whether you've hit your target or not. If you did, you pass, and if you didn't, you fail. But what if the target is simply to be able to hear the difference between a Major 7 chord and a Dominant 7 chord?
Don't forget that when you're in a "school," they can pass you or fail you. The stakes are high. When you study with a private teacher though, they can't pass or fail you. You simply work until you "get it." That's the way I learned as a musician.
In a conservatory, it's assumed that in order to have made it far enough to be accepted into the school, that you get it. There is no such vetting in music lessons. So then for voiceover, for instance, a person may ask, "If I complete a 6-week course in voiceover, will I be ready to work?" What you're asking is whether you're certified to perform voiceover. Well, you may be certified in terms of having spent time in class, but you're certainly not certified in terms of whether you're any good at it. That's why I tend to shun schools that offer Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced classes, so the answer to the question, "How long will it take?" is "I don't know." It depends on your skill, talent, inclination and your willingness to practice what your teacher prescribed to you to further your goal.
How long?
Regarding the first question, it depends on a couple of things. Are you new to the instrument? Are you an adult or a child? Is money an issue?
A 8 year old child who is new to an instrument may not be able to focus for more than a half hour, while an adult probably will. It depends on the student in either case.
If age or money isn't an issue, I make the observation that, for someone trying to make some real progress, 30 minutes really isn't enough. Usually, things just start cooking by the 29th minute, then you have to leave. Doing an hour will give the teacher time to elaborate on insights rather than having to rush to make a point.
Students on a career track in music are wasting their time studying for half an hour. I, as a professional, have never studied anything for half an hour.
Having said all that though, by all means, do what's comfortable for you.
How frequent?
It's typical to have a lesson once a week.
Some people want to study every other week. If it's a money issue, it's understandable. However, to actually learn, there is a certain momentum by going weekly that is clearly lost going every other week. Every-other-week lessons create an environment where the student starts from scratch each time. (It's hard enough to motivate kids to practice for a once-a-week lesson.)
Periodically, I'll I'll have a student that wants to come every other week for an hour. Usually it's an adult. It makes sense; they want an hour lesson but it's too expensive or inconvenient to come every week.
In a case like that, I would recommend coming to me each week for half an hour. The reason is part selfish; it causes such a schedule burden for me to make that hour available every other week that I'd need another person to serendipitously need the exact opposite schedule, otherwise, I'd be sitting idle on those days.
But, as far as benefiting the student, doing a half hour every week maintains their momentum and reduces the loss of retention that would occur anyway. The ultimate goal is for the student always to move forward.
How long will it take?
Interesting question.
If you're in school... high school or college... you're allowed 12 weeks to achieve the requirements for the course. After passing all the tests and quizzes, it's obvious whether you've hit your target or not. If you did, you pass, and if you didn't, you fail. But what if the target is simply to be able to hear the difference between a Major 7 chord and a Dominant 7 chord?
Don't forget that when you're in a "school," they can pass you or fail you. The stakes are high. When you study with a private teacher though, they can't pass or fail you. You simply work until you "get it." That's the way I learned as a musician.
In a conservatory, it's assumed that in order to have made it far enough to be accepted into the school, that you get it. There is no such vetting in music lessons. So then for voiceover, for instance, a person may ask, "If I complete a 6-week course in voiceover, will I be ready to work?" What you're asking is whether you're certified to perform voiceover. Well, you may be certified in terms of having spent time in class, but you're certainly not certified in terms of whether you're any good at it. That's why I tend to shun schools that offer Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced classes, so the answer to the question, "How long will it take?" is "I don't know." It depends on your skill, talent, inclination and your willingness to practice what your teacher prescribed to you to further your goal.