3 Stages of Beginning Music Lessons

Summer time is here – this is prime time for savvy music students to acquire music students of their own. This is a great thing to do, for profit and for personal learning.

While the process of recruiting private students is fairly easy to figure out, the process of retention may be less obvious.

In my own teaching experience it boiled down to a broad, three-level process:

• The introductory phase
• Organization and planning
• Achievement

The beginning student‘s learning curve and retention in your studio are directly connected. Think of it as a code – like the Hippocratic Oath. This, over and above short-term desires for personal profit.

Introduction

With the exception of home-schooled students, the one-on-one learning experience for beginning music students is typically brand new. In most classrooms in America today, personal attention is rare.

Think about activities to break the ice. Here is a starter list:

• ask questions about their horn playing
• show them all the parts of the French horn
• ask questions about school
• get to know the parents
• play something

Look for body language, visual and verbal cues to see if the student (or parent) is tense or relaxed. This phase might go on for a few lessons before a comfort zone is found.

A big part of this process at first is the fundamentals – buzzing the mouthpiece and holding the instrument.  Discovering a good, comfortable playing position for each individual child is absolutely tantamount to retention.

Be careful about direct touch – in the classroom teaching field, this is a big no-no. I use a baton or pencil sometimes, to both conduct and point attention.

Organizing and preparing

One can never presume that a young student knows how to practice. A checklist to think about:

• where to practice in their home
• where to start
• how to plan for lesson assignments
• how to troubleshoot and fix problem areas

This process translates into a useful work ethic in adult life. In this stage a parent can be a very helpful and vital resource.

Achievement

Once the student gains some ability and confidence in their playing, they will naturally want to have some fun with it.

This can be a delicate stage. A child’s confidence can be like an uncooked egg. Handle it with care.

Here is an achievement checklist to help get you started:

• assign materials of increasing difficulty
• play duets
• encourage participation in contests
• encourage youth ensembles outside school
• support solo opportunities
• seek recognition and feedback from parents to the student

Overall, students need praise for their hard work. Even if the improvement seems slight, it never hurts to point out and recognize the work that went behind it.