Taking Guitar Lessons and preparing for your next lesson may seam like homework but it’s not. You’ll be happier and a better musician if you understand the difference and why that mindset is important.
Done Vs Better
Guitar = Fun!
The object of much homework is to get done, “at least the way our kids see it right?” The teachers at school gave them an assignment and most of the time getting it done is the goal. When a guitar teacher leaves your house and you have an outline of what you should practice, the idea is not to get done but get better. In fact, music teachers understand that you most likely won’t be done by the time we get back.
When you learn a song or a concept on your guitar, you’re trying to learn a performable event, not for a test but for the rest of your life. Take Sweet Home Alabama for example. It’s a popular song that a lot of younger guitar students want to learn. For some students they might need to work on it for a while before they can really “play-it” in a fluent way. When a guitarist can play it, it’s not done; it’s just ready to be shared! Playing music is the beginning not the end.
Passing Takes More Then Knowing How
When you understand the questions of a homework assignment and can answer them, you stand a good chance of getting an A on the test. In contrast, when you know exactly what to do to play a song, it doesn’t mean you can yet. Understanding how to play guitar is much easier then actually playing it.
Guitar Lessons – Everybody Wants To Play
Ask a group of children “who wants homework” and usually there’s only one kid raising their hand (usually my daughter, she’s weird like that) but ask a group of children who wants to play guitar and every hand goes up whether they know how or not. It’s that simple:).
What Parents Need To Know About Guitar
So parents, it’s usually us who need to understand the difference between guitar lessons being homework or not. We can’t make our children feel guilty about not being done, or able to play that new song. That’s not the measure of playing an instrument. The measure is progress. It takes a long time to learn how to play guitar, let it happen in a non-homework way.
