The point of music lessons
The point of lessons is for you to move forward as a musician. Successful music lessons result in more skill and more enjoyment.
My job is to give you the tools you need to achieve your musical goals.
Lessons happen once a week, every week
I have never heard of anyone getting meaningful benefit from lessons less than once a week. That’s after over forty years of teaching, studying, and discussions with other teachers.
Pick a day and stick with it
Let’s discuss which day works best for both of us for your lesson.
You will make significant progress most weeks, but not every week…
Especially the weeks that you don’t want to
Inevitably, some weeks you will not make the progress you would like.
Do not fall into the trap of delaying your lesson that week.
That does not work.
Please make your video anyway. Do not skip a lesson when you most need it! Those low ebbs are often when we learn the most.
The discipline of having your lesson every week, no matter what, will be one of the strongest contributors to your progress.
(I take some breaks through the season (see My Schedule, below) and of course it is fine to miss a lesson if you travel or some other circumstance makes it impossible for you to make a video.)
Practice
A commitment to music lessons is a commitment to practice. I recommend practicing five or six days each week.
How long to practice
Practice sessions do not need to be long. More time does not mean better results.
Musicians with poor practice skills actually progress faster when they practice less but better.
A daily 20 minutes of healthy practice is far better than hours of poor or intermittent practice. Even a few minutes on a busy day is infinitely better than nothing.
Do not blame your lack of success on being too busy. The most successful musicians I know are the busiest people I know.
You don’t need more time; you need to use the time you have better.
The free Introductory Lesson and the Probationary Period
We start our teacher/student relationship with a free video exchange.
In your video please play a bit for me, if you can, and tell me your musical history and your musical goals.
In my response video I will tell you what I think is the best path to your goals and I will explain my teaching approach.
Once you decide to take lessons, let’s set up four probationary lessons. That is enough to find out if you enjoy my teaching and if you can find time to practice.
If you decide to continue, please commit to the rest of the season.
My Schedule & Cancellations
I teach from mid-September to the end of May. I take some time off in December and in the spring. I’ll give you those dates each fall. I teach a few students in the summer too.
Please submit a lesson video each week “come hell or high water”. If you must cancel a lesson please let me know in advance.
Please pay for all your scheduled lessons by eTransfer. You can pay weekly or monthly – whatever works best for you. Lessons are $60.
I teach make-up lessons in June – up to a maximum of two or three.
Here’s to you and your musical success!