Music lesson
Music lessons are a type of formal instruction in playing a musical instrument or singing. Typically, a student taking music lessons meets a music teacher for one-to-one training sessions ranging from 30 minutes to one hour in length over a period of weeks or years. Depending on lessons to be taught, students learn different skills relevant to the instruments used. Music teachers also assign technical exercises, musical pieces, and other activities to help the students improve their musical skills. While most music lessons are one-on-one (private), some teachers also teach groups of two to four students (semi-private lessons), and, for very basic instruction, some instruments are taught in large group lessons, such as piano and acoustic guitar. Since the widespread availability of high speed. low latency Internet, private lessons can also take place through live video chat using webcams, microphones and videotelephony online.
For other uses, see Music lesson (disambiguation).Music lessons are part of both amateur music instruction and professional training. In amateur and recreational music contexts, children and adults take music lessons to improve their singing or instrumental playing skills and learn basic to intermediate techniques. In professional training contexts, such as music conservatories, university music performance programs (e.g., Bachelor of music, Master of music, DMA, etc.), students aiming for a career as professional musicians take a music lesson once a week for an hour or more with a music professor over a period of years to learn advanced playing or singing techniques.[1] Many instrumental performers and singers, including a number of pop music celebrities, have learned music "by ear", especially in folk music styles such as blues and popular styles such as rock music. Nevertheless, even in folk and popular styles, a number of performers have had some type of music lessons, such as meeting with a vocal coach or getting childhood instruction in an instrument such as piano.
Pedagogy[edit]
Music lesson (also known as studio or applied music) pedagogy and instruction has many influences and aspects. Both the teaching methods and content of music lessons must be somewhat varied according to the level of the student, the goals of the lessons, the student's age, and the instructional context.[5] Interpersonal rapport between student and teacher is another important element of studio music pedagogy. Other important factors important to student outcomes include how instructors communicate, their skills at teaching, how they organize their lessons, and how flexible they are to making adjustments.[6] Some teachers also view physical proximity and energy as important aspects of music instruction.[7]
Studio lesson teachers often embody different pedagogical approaches and philosophies. Two broad teaching philosophies can be categorized as the transfer approach and the transformative approach. The transfer approach is primarily performance and outcome-based. The most important goals of the lesson are confined to the technical quality of the musical performance. The transformative approach, by comparison, is rooted in constructivist educational philosophy and is not only concerned with technique and musical execution, but also with person-based learning and artistic processes. These two approaches show that musical technique is not necessarily the only goal of music lesson instruction.[8]
Successful instructors are often deliberate and clear, explain practice strategies in detail, account for students' emotional needs, and elevate the long-term performance expectations for their students.[9] The student's specific needs, strengths, and challenges can also influence the teacher's choice of pedagogy. High achieving students may be well suited to unmodified strategies, whereas intermediate students may benefit from modifications. For example, a studio teacher focused on a specific aspect of music and seeking high achievement in one area may momentarily accept a lower performance level on other aspects that are unrelated to the focus objective.
Understanding their student’s perspectives helps music lesson teachers support their students. A primary concern for any lesson instructor is student motivation for the long-term learning of an instrument. Student motivation pertains to how students of all ages develop the desire to study musical instruments, how and how much they value the learning, what influences their persistence/intensity of study, and student self-perception of success or failure. Motivation is a prerequisite for student development of adaptive behaviors that increase success in personal goals. Relevant to motivation are expectancy-value theory, self-efficacy constructs, flow theory, attribution theory, and mastery motivational patterns. Musical learning is also socially influenced by teachers, parents, and others.[10]
Practicing by the student is another integral aspect of musical learning through music lessons. Student practice is often unsupervised and usually takes place outside of the lesson. Instructors often focus on teaching students how to practice using methods such as increasing the tempo of a piece from slow to faster, analyzing pieces, marking or annotating the music, setting practice goals, practicing in more frequent shorter sessions, and using a metronome. Teachers can influence students through the demonstration of practice methods or verbal description, although demonstration is often more effective.[11]
Music lessons are an important part of both music performance and music education degree programs in higher education. Both music education and performance majors can expect to teach music lessons in their musical careers. Students benefit from courses which teach studio instructional methods, allow students to practice instructional techniques, engage in self-reflection, and refine their pedagogy.[5]