The first lesson in just about anything can sometimes feel daunting. Students usually feel a little nervous, maybe even a little anxiety the first time they walk through the Music Lab – East Sacramento doors. Here is a small list to help alleviate some of the concerns a new student may have when they take their first step into their musical journey with Music Lab Schools.
WHAT DO I BRING?
This is probably the most common question we receive from a new student. It varies slightly by instrument. For the new drum student, they will need to bring a pair of drumsticks. A 5A or 5B will be the stick size they will want to bring. The instructor can give the student further advice/recommendations on what stick would suit them best. New guitar students SHOULD bring their own guitar. It does NOT matter whether they bring in an acoustic, or an electric guitar. The guitar instructor will want to see what the student is using for their instrument and may make recommendations on how they could make the student’s current guitar better. The new guitar student will want to make sure that their guitar has all the strings on it and can be tuned. Piano and vocal students just need to bring themselves in! All students should bring a folder/binder to hold music and assignments from their teacher.
WHAT DOES THE FIRST LESSON LOOK LIKE?
The new student can wait in the lobby for their instructor to come out and greet them. Once in the lesson room, the instructor will ask basic questions like: Have you ever played this instrument before? Do you know how to play any other instruments? What made you decide on taking music lessons? Have you ever had a music lesson before? The instructor may also ask questions about what styles of music the new student listens to and would also like to learn more about. Generally, the instructor will do a bit of an assessment of where the student is at with the instrument and begin to develop the lesson plan for the student. EACH STUDENT IS DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE. Not all students will start in the same place, and not all students take the same path. Taking private music lessons allows the instructor to develop a special plan for each individual student.
HAVE A GOAL IN MIND.
This is the biggest question that the student will want to consider/ponder and have an answer for on their first lesson. Some students may want to focus on learning songs. What style of songs will be the question (pop, classical, jazz, etc.) Other students will want to learn fundamentals and technique without a big focus on songs. It will be up to the new student to define their goals and explain them to their instructor.
HAVE AN OPEN MIND AND HAVE FUN!
This can be the most challenging aspect a new student will want to develop over time. No one likes the feeling of frustration, and the instructor will do their best to make sure the new student feels comfortable and in control of the musical material they are learning. It is important for the new music student to be honest with their instructor about their understanding of the material, and the challenges they have been facing learning the instrument or music. Most importantly, HAVE FUN learning the instrument! If the new student is not having fun, there will be less of an incentive to learn the instrument. The new student should inform their teacher if they are not enjoying the instrument so that the instructor can devise a new game plan or make recommendations on how to improve the enjoyment of the instrument.
We look forward to seeing new students at Music Lab – East Sacramento each week!