Preparation and Confidence
Years ago, a young student walked into their music lesson and informed their teacher they had a “rule” for the class that day. It seems the student didn’t want to practice clapping rhythms that day. Hilarious as it was to see a four-year old making rules for the class (rather politely, I should add), the great part was to hear the instructor cut right to the root of the issue.
“Are you worried that you might not do a good job with the rhythms?”
It seemed at the prior lesson the teacher, student and parent had worked hard on clapping some rhythmic patterns, but at home, the parent and child had both forgotten how exactly to clap the rhythms, which resulted in some unsuccessful home practice. The braveness of this kid to feel unprepared for the class but to still follow through is not a commonality. Often younger students who feel this way start to resist attending the lessons, which eventually turns into resistance towards practicing at home and even towards their music lessons at large. Because of this, PracticeSpace has added a feature for instructors to upload tutorial videos to help with at home practice. This way, even if a student forgets, there is still a way to keep them on track and prepare for the next lesson.
We all have stressful situations in our lives- whether they be meetings with a boss, a pitch to potential clients, a speech at a conference, or a music performance. Being a bit nervous or feeling the pressure in these circumstances is not a bad thing for most of us, it can often be turned into positive excitement. Being unprepared for these occasions, however, feels terrible: you still have the pressure, but in the back of your mind you know the outcome will not be ideal. For a younger student, going into their music class is the infantilization of our professional pressures. Even some high school students who play at an extremely high-level still admit they get nervous playing for their teachers in their lessons.
This is one reason that the private music class presents a wonderful opportunity for our children. If they prepare well during the week by following the videos and practice assignments posted on PracticeSpace, they learn that nerves are not an unhealthy thing as long as the work has been done. They develop confidence in their abilities and a strong work ethic. This is another reason why PracticeSpace offers practice tracking, gems, and a practice streak leaderboard, to motivate students to spend their time working hard before the next lesson. Performing in front of their teacher may still elicit some nervous butterflies. But the best way to deal with nerves? PREPARATION.
In closing, parents register their kids in music lessons for a plethora of reasons. Similarly, there are a plethora of benefits to studying an instrument, but the most important part of taking classes- whether they are a beginner or expert- is to practice. It seems obvious but try to get yourself or your kids into a routine of practicing every day by using the practice tracking feature, even if it is just for a little bit at first. The results of consistency are amazing not just for their playing but also on their confidence, focus and work ethic!