60-day returns • free shipping on USA orders $129+
Learning to play a musical instrument
- This topic has 5 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 6 months ago by
.
Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
- Posts
I’m curious to hear experiences regarding musical lessons. If you play an instrument or give music lessons or if you or your children have taken lessons, how long does it take to gain proficiency in an instrument? I’m asking because I hear people saying things like their children took 10 years (or 6 years or 4 years) and have never become truly proficient in playing their instrument.
Hearing things like this really blows me away. I can’t imagine paying for so many years of lessons only to bear so little fruit.
Please share your experiences in this area. My daughter has had almost 2 years of lessons and she is doing very well. Our teacher moved recently and I am debating our next step in this area.
Melanie, my boys (13 and 12) have been studying Suzuki violin for many years. My 13yo started at 4 and my 12yo started at 6 shortly after his adoption from China…even before he could speak English! ?
Children are different and my boys are definitely average. It has taken my 13yo several years to become what I would call “proficient” meaning to the point that it is intuitive to him now. He is playing very advanced music, has been messing around with a mandolin and has very easily learned three mandolin concerti by Vivaldi. My 12yo is beginning to move into some of that. He doesn’t have the love of it his brother has but he works hard and does well.
The keys to this I think (my degree is in piano/organ and I taught for many years, though not Suzuki) are
1. Listening often to good music. It develops the ear for style and expression much like reading books develops the ear for good language.
2. Constant review. My boys can play every piece they’ve ever learned, on the spot, by memory, at least somewhat beautifully. ? Dr. Suzuki said practice didn’t begin until the piece was learned. Then it could truly be made more musical. Most music instruction ends a piece as soon as the student has notes and rhythm. We have a chart with all their music divided by days so they review every single piece at least once week.
3. Parental involvement. Dr. Suzuki included the parent as a teacher. I go to every private and group lesson, take notes, ask questions and help with practice. It’s definitely not hands-off, “Go do your practice” sort of thing. My 13yo does most of his practice independently now but he still checks in with me so we can spot check. I’m working my youngest son into more independence but I’m still there for more than half of his practice.
Hope that helps. Keep up the lessons. It’s definitely worth it.
My sister and I took piano lessons as a children for a few years. When my dad started making us practice for 1/2 hour or an hour every day we got better.
Our goal was to be able to play hymns in church and I can do that. But, to be able to read complicated classical music is beyond my skills.
Robin-Thanks for sharing your experience, both as a student, teacher and mom of children learning instruments. My daughter’s teacher is wonderful and I really like her. She has taught my daughter so much. However, she does do what you mentioned in that she assigns new music each week and doesn’t give my daughter time to excel on the music she has already learned. That has always bothered me. I read your post to my daughter and we both agreed that she would spend some time each day on reviewing previously learned pieces and on perfecting one piece at a time. Your advice was very helpful. 🙂
MissLeata-Thanks for sharing your experience as well. I have my daughter practice for 20-30 minutes each day as well. She is able to play most hymns in the hymnbook but hasn’t perfected the playing of them as I mentioned above. I would be thrilled if she came away from her lessons able to help out at church on the piano. It is getting harder and harder to find people to play the piano at churches. We have one pianist who is planning on moving soon so we really need a back up!
Every family and every student is different. We have taken a bit more of a ‘learn when you are interested’ approach.
My oldest DD was 5 when she started pleading to be able to play the violin. So, we found violins for both her and me, and I used several youtube videos and blogs and Suzuki books to guide me in showing her some of the basics. When she was 8, she was old enough to join our community “Music Enrichment Program”, which involves group violin lessons and orchestras. I was glad to have had those first few years when playing was ‘just for fun’ before she had to be committed enough to practice for lessons and orchestra. She is now almost 11 and still playing, looking forward to her 4th year of lessons.
Then, we bought a piano last year, just when my DS was turning 8. He became obsessed with playing, so much that my girls were complaining “Make him stop, just for a little while. Please!” I just provided basic level books (The “Piano Adventures” series) and helped him understand any of the lessons. A year later he has completed 5 levels, and is able to work through some of the simple songs in our hymnbook. Just because of his personality, I believe that he would not have played as much or progressed as fast with a teacher, because he would have just done what he was assigned each week and not spent so many hours in self exploration. We are thinking about lessons to help him learn more than he can just from the books, but I’m glad we took this route.
And then there is me. I took piano lessons at about age 9-10. I was forced to practice, with my mom sitting there to make sure I did everything correctly. Tears, anger and frustration are my main memories of this time. After begging to quit, my father set a certain piece and told me I could quit when I could play it. I did. Later I began flute in the junior high school band. I practiced when I wanted, as much as I wanted, and eventually asked to take private lessons. I still enjoy playing flute. Eventually I returned to playing piano, entirely on my own. I wish I had more of a technical background because I don’t play nearly as well as I think I could have. I’m considering taking lessons again.
Jmac17-Thanks for your perspective as well. Taking piano was entirely my daughter’s idea and she wants to continue to I am planning on doing so at this point. She fooled around with the violin for a year or two before taking piano.
I feel like there needs to be a balance. I only pay for lessons if my children are motivated to learn an instrument and I require that they stick with it for one year. I require daily practice but I like to keep it positive and I don’t pressure my kids to be perfect musicians. I want them to enjoy making music. My son ended up taking 2 years of guitar 8 years ago and has continued to teach himself to this day. He loves playing and does it just for the pure enjoyment of it. He was in a church band for a couple of years as well.
Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
- The topic ‘Learning to play a musical instrument’ is closed to new replies.