Often times in lessons, a student will exclaim something the effect of, “I swear I practiced this!” Or, “It was better at home!”
As your private instructor, I know you did, and I know that it was.
Here’s the deal – I understand how lessons work. You should up at the studio, you walk back to my office, and we start the lesson. There is almost no time to warm up, and immediately you have eyes on you – listening to the material that was assigned, and getting feedback on where improvements can be made. Whether you feel like it, or not, you’re performing for an audience of one, and that one person knows how the material should sound, where the trouble spots are, and has the solutions to the common (and hopefully, uncommon) problems.
Maybe you didn’t get as much time on your instrument as you would have liked. Maybe you’re having trouble with a new spot in the music. Maybe you’re stuck on a spot for longer than you think you should be. Maybe you’re having a bad day. Maybe you’re having a great day. Maybe all of the skills that you’ve been working on are coming together. Maybe one skill that you normally rely on isn’t clicking that day. The list goes on…
As an instructor, I take this into account when I’m listening to you. I know when to push you, or when to back off. There’s a lot of trust between an instructor and a student in these lessons, and it’s not something that I take lightly.
I know that it was better at home. You were more relaxed, in your space, and working in your comfort zone.
It was better at home for me as well.
Come to your lessons with the understanding that practice makes progress, not practice makes perfect, and absorb what you can. Making music is the most amazing thing!
See you next week.
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