One of the reasons you have enrolled in lessons is not necessarily because you want your child or yourself to become the next Cliburn finalist (although that is totally possible). It is more than likely that you want to have the ability to play an instrument for pure enjoyment. Whether at a dinner party, a family wedding or on a rainy afternoon, having the confidence and freedom to play music is truly a gift that is priceless.
The only way that you can gain such a ‘talent’ is actually only through lots of hard work. The bad news- there aren’t any shortcuts, but the good news is that it’s not up to anything else or anyone else but you. This season remember that we are striving ultimately for permanenceand not perfection. When setting goals to practice, keep in mind you want to learn it so well that you can’t forget it.
One way I’d like to encourage you to reach this goal is to always push yourself to do one more:
One more scale
One more arpeggio
One notch higher on the metronome
One more minute of practice time
One more page of theory
If you can just push yourself or your child to do one more every practice time, you will be amazed at your overall growth this semester. I believe in you and want to see you succeed at this thing we call being a musician.
