Students/parents have varying ideas about what kinds of things should occur during private music lessons. They may think a typical lesson should be...
1) a guided practice session
2) a “checkup” on their progress
3) a time to review learned concepts
4) a time to learn new concepts
5) an opportunity to play along with their teacher
6) an opportunity to listen to their teacher demonstrate their music
7) a chance to be creative in a guided way
8) a time to be inspired with insights or information related to their music studies
9) a source of encouragement and motivation for their musical journey
Which one of these approaches, or combination thereof, is the best? It's really up to you! Private music lessons can be any or all of these things, depending on the goals, interests and needs of the student and/or parent. As a teacher, I generally try to be as inclusive of as many as these approaches as possible, unless I am asked by a student or parent to focus on certain ones. Naturally, lessons are going to vary from one to the next in terms of what is most appropriate or necessary for a student in a particular situation. However, I instinctively try to be as well-rounded in my overall approach as possible.
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