7
Reasons Why You Should Learn to Read
Music
By Bill
Kernodle
Choosing a Music
Teacher
Although it is quite possible
to teach yourself how to play an instrument, the
advances that you can make with a good music
teacher and following a course of structured
lessons can not be overvalued.
Don't be afraid to make that
call to a teacher and discuss your needs. As adults
it can be hard to take that first step, but playing
music is undeniably good for the soul, and you
shouldn't allow yourself to miss out on the
opportunity to feel happier and learn something
new.
Before you make that call it
helps to know what style of music you would like to
learn so you can discuss this with a prospective
music teacher.
Learning a style you enjoy
helps you to stay motivated and make you want to
keep practicing. It will also help your teacher to
tailor the lessons to suit you.
Music teachers can be found
in the local papers, Yellow Pages and Thompson
Local as well as on the Internet. Go to Google and
type in “music teachers in ……”
and add your town and county.
Another good source is your
local music shop. They usually know the local
teachers personally, or know of the good ones from
word of mouth from their customers.
Tip!
Get a myspace.com music page.
There are a number of things
to consider when choosing a music teacher, and
price should really NOT be one of them.
Four lessons a month with an
adequate teacher who is cheap may not be as
beneficial to you as twice a month with a superior
but more expensive teacher.
It's true that more expensive
is not always better, but an excellent teacher will
have no problem finding students prepared to pay a
higher rate.
You can expect to pay
anywhere from £12 to £30 an hour, though
many teachers offer half hour lessons which may
well be better for people early into their
instrument playing.
Ask if there is the
possibility of group lessons, if this suits you.
This can seriously help reduce the costs for those
on tight budget.
Those who have family
constraints or transport problems might want to
consider having a teacher come to their
home.
Any good teacher will be
happy to talk to you about the possibility of
teaching you and should be happy to answer your
questions.
* Ask if you can sit in
on a lesson.
This is especially good if
you're thinking of taking group lessons.
* Avoid teachers who
are not ‘fun'.
Playing an instrument should
be fun not a chore. If you don't find learning with
a particular teacher fun, move on. It should not be
work, otherwise you'd work an instrument not play
it
* Ask if you can tape
record any lessons you have.
A teacher who is confident in
their teaching methods will have no problem with
this, and you will have a source of reference to
help you in your practice.
Tip!
Singing warm-up exercises ... Don't leave home
without them!
* Never be afraid to
ask what their professional and educational
experience is.
While qualifications may not
be everything you should expect a music teacher to
have taken their music exams in the instrument or
instruments they teach.
Also find out how long
they've been teaching and the kind of people they
teach. For example - do they teach adults and
children?
References can be asked for,
but none come higher than personal recommendation
from a happy student.
* Ask how much practice
is expected of you, and find out if there will be
opportunities to perform in the future, especially
if you are learning an instrument that plays as
part of large band or orchestra.
Which ever path you go down,
the bottom line is practice practice practice.
Little and often is always better than spending 4
hours the day before your next lesson trying to
practice what you were shown last lesson!
It never fools the teacher
and all you do is waste your own money and time.
Things sink in better if practiced a little
everyday anyway.
To spend 10 minutes several
times a day working on something you find
particularly difficult can often achieve better
results than 2 hours in one sitting.
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