Friends, Here are four from Nancee Marin, a fellow instructor and good friend. She speaks sooth, as they used to say. Have you personally had trouble with something online? I can correct it if you'll contact me directly at danstarrorg@yahoo.com.
The Four "Myths"
It seems like some (if not many) adults are discouraged from
taking or continuing lessons. This is frustrating to us teachers and
prospective and current students alike. So while this may sound like
we're beating a dead horse even deader, this subject is absolutely
worth addressing because there are still rather silly misconceptions
and assumptions swirling around.
So let's break them down, shall we?
1. Expecting quickie results.
It's normal in this instant gratification/instant download culture
to want to see results right off the bat. But learning how to play
(read: perform) music isn't microwave cuisine. That would be just as
good as pressing play on the CD player or your iPod. (Nowadays it's
not an anomaly to see toddlers tweaking around with tablets and
smartphones!)
Playing music is both art and science. It's not exactly child's
play! Rome definitely wasn't built in a day. Even good ol' Mozart had
to take a lot of time busting his chops to get some props in his
craft! It takes a while to develop any skills, let alone things that
require fine motor skills like music and getting used to concepts
that were previously pretty foreign to you. Astute teachers have also
observed that intellectual knowledge isn't always translatable to
physical movement. My fellow musician/music teacher friend attests to
this all the time. He's had a number of brainiac students (MDs, lawyers, tech
geeks, etc.), yet they struggle with getting their fingers to
“behave” on the keyboard. It takes a while to acquire muscle
memory. So just keep at it, be patient, and relax. Take your sweet
time. After all, you're doing this as a hobby. No exams, auditions,
competitions, touring, and multimillion record deals to worry
about! :)
2. Feeling like a slowpoke
Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't. Sometimes just
feel that you don't measure up. Sometimes you feel like you're
progressing on a limping snail's pace. Yep, I suppose you can blame
it on statistics (used by musical instrument salespeople to hawk
their goods) that kids make better and faster music learners. (See
myth #3 below.) Well, in some aspects, not exactly. Adults have the
advantage of being fully developed physically and having more
advanced cognitive/conceptual skills, as well as many years of life
experience under their belt, including prior exposure to music. There
are routines (such as typing, driving, and ergonomics) adults have
already mastered that give them an edge over younger ones that are
relevant and transferable to music study or performance.
3. SILLY RABBIT! Music lessons are for kids!
Nope. There have been many studies across the board proving music
is great for all ages—from the cradle to nearly the grave. (Again,
the results have been manipulated by commerce to get parents to
spend, spend, and spend some more on their kids.)
4. Free stuff = good stuff.
Who doesn't love freebies? Sure, you can scour YouTube for free
tutorials, but out of the 1234958123 (or so) videos posted, can you
tell which are quality ones? Do you EVEN have the time to check them
all out? Here's where a good, caring, and knowledgeable teacher can
help. He/she saves you time, money, energy, and spares you from all
that frustration. The teacher has spent plenty of time, money, and
countless trial-and-error processes to get to where they are now so
you don't have to go through all that junk!
So you think you can pinch a few pennies by not investing in a
good teacher. After all, you just want to play for fun. None of that
hardcore pro BS. Right?
Friends, this is great stuff. I heartily agree with everything above. If you want to contact Nancee or check her out, here's how:
http://pianolessonsredlands.com
https://www.facebook.com/NanceeMarinMusic
