5 Tips For Your First Beginner Music Lesson
1. Get to know your student!
This is arguably the most important part of your first lesson. Especially with young children most often they are only attending the lessons because their parents made the very wise decision to enroll them in music lessons (good job parents!). But because of this, many students will lose interest in the lessons even though everyone loves music due to the fact that many teachers often will just jump straight into teaching scales and technique. While yes scales and technique are super important, it is also important that your student feels comfortable, relaxed, and is having fun! Spend the first few minutes getting to know them with a few ice breakers. "Whats your name? How old are you? Have you played piano/violin/guitar before?" Yes you probably already know all of these answers already after talking with the parents but it is still key to building a good relationship with your student.
2. Introduce them to the instrument
Before they actually get to play the instrument they of course need to know the very most basic facts about the instrument. I repeat, the very most basic information. Try not to spend more than 2-3 minutes on this, you can continue to drill this information in each lesson for a few minutes each time but if you spend the entirety of the first lesson with your student going over how to care/handle their instrument they will leave bored and not wanting to return. Remember to keep it super simple and fun! Make a silly example of how not to handle the instrument for some laughs!
3. Figure out how much basic theory your student already knows
Some new students will not know a single thing about music, while some will know some beginner information from elementary music classes. Involve your student in the lesson and cater to their needs. If you are teaching every student the same things then you are not optimizing their time with you. Ask them if they know what a quarter note is, what the music alphabet is, etc. If they already know, don't waste their time, just move on to something else. Help them figure out where to find all of the notes on the instrument and the very basic techniques needed in order to play their first song. I repeat, the very basic techniques! As much as we'd love to have every student have perfect technique on their very first lesson to set a firm foundation for future lessons, more often than not it takes weeks, months, sometimes years for good technique to develop. Relax and keep it fun, try not to be a "technique drill sargeant". These are young students and drilling technique can quickly kill their passion for learning music.
4. Teach them their first song
This is why they are here! Make sure they leave their first lesson with not only just scales, theory, or technique exercises, they must also have at least 1 fun song to practice to keep their interest. Ask them what their favorite song is and what they would enjoy learning, if you have time teach them a bit of it that first lesson or let them know you will work towards learning a bit each week. Figure out how your student learns best. Some learn best by hearing or watching you play first, some like to have you help them figure it out note by note, some like to just go for it and try their best without your help right away. However they want to approach it, be supportive and accommodate to their needs. If the parent is not sitting in on the lesson, invite them in at the end to see how much they've already learned in their first lesson. Make it a big deal because it is a big deal! They just learned their first song, wahoo!!
5. Fuel their passion
Everyone loves music, but not everyone loves learning how to play music. It is a hard skill that requires a lot of practice and commitment, but a students passion for learning can very quickly be muted by a teacher with good intentions. My husband is an amazing musician, and he remembers a violin lesson he had with a phenomenal violinist when he was about 10 years old that almost killed his passion for music. The instructor (whose name will remain private for obvious reasons) has a doctorate in music performance and is arguably one of the most amazing performers and instructors in our area, however when teaching a young student he did not modify his teaching style to keep it fun for a 10 year old. He spent the entire lesson trying to perfect his technique and intonation on a single note. For 30 minutes, they worked on just a single note. No song, no talking, no fun. This was my husbands first and last lesson with him and he left the lesson in tears never wanting to play again. Luckily his mom did not force him to continue lessons with that instructor, instead she found him another instructor who was better with young students and he enjoyed lessons again. With young students the drive, focus, and self discipline is not yet instilled in them. With an older, more advanced student sure that teaching style and opportunity to work with that skilled of a musician would be an amazing opportunity. But for a student just starting out, be sure to fuel their passion and not diminish it. Point out their accomplishments. Help them correct errors and know that mistakes are normal. If the lesson is focused more on the negative than the positive your students confidence in their own playing can quickly be lost. Confident players are the best players even when they make mistakes! If you are passionate about them learning they will feel your passion and feed off of you. Overall, keep it super simple and fun!
By keeping these 5 tips in mind you will be sure to retain your students and keep them wanting to continue music lessons!
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