For those who have private music lessons, I was just wondering how you spend the time? I had a private violin lesson on Saturday for an hour (it was a free trial with a new teacher) and I got so bored. We spent 45 minutes playing the same piece of music over and over again, trying to perfect it. Then the teacher spent the rest of the time doing bowing exercises with me. It's not that I find it too easy, I did learn a lot but I get bored easily and feel like it wasn't time well spent.

Previously I had lessons once a month and I told my teacher what I wanted to learn, so it was more of a question and answer session. But now I'm looking for a new teacher and I want more regular lessons i.e. every fortnight. I want the teacher to direct me and help me to progress. What is the structure of a typical lesson?

Thinking about my lesson, I think the teacher must have been bored as well! I think I'll try another violin teacher.

My lessons have changed a lot over time, as I've progressed. Most I've had would start with the teacher deciding what we'd tackle first - some did technical stuff like scales first, others would look at pieces which were in preparation. Many would let me play a piece through, or a section at least, and then go back over details which weren't right, or sections which were clearly causing me to struggle. My first recorder teacher would also break down such sections, getting me to play them from the end, then adding on ever more to the beginning, or alter the rhythm, or get me to work on the fingerings covering only a couple or maybe three notes, to iron out the tricky transitions. As I've progressed, I've learned to incorporate such techniques into my practice anyway, so that sort of intervention is needed less often: my current teacher will still produce tips which I've not heard before, though, so a little of that sort of guidance will happen. Now, though, I tend to lead the lesson, by asking about sections in which I'm struggling, and since I'm used to practising little sections bit by bit anyway, it seems natural to have lessons which tackle the music the same way. Of course my teacher does still look at a piece as a whole, and gives me guidance on the general approach to tempo and style, but the main focus is on detail.

I'm interested to hear that you get bored easily - a lot of music practice can be very same-y, so you're going to have to look hard at how to keep your interest going: it's not impossible, but being able to put up with a bit of monotony does make learning an instrument that bit more straight-forward .

Was it really just playing it over and over again or did you take out sections to work on?
I usually need to go over pieces I'm still working on like this but it involves talking about how things can be improved either technically or musically and can also involve taking problem bits and using them as the basis of exercises which will make playing those bits easier. I actually like spending some time taking a piece apart in this way as it gives me new ways of practising and also I feel that I've really done some work in a lesson when I've spent time working in this way.
With clarinet I'll usually do some sort exercises too but with piano it's just working on the pieces i'm learning.

Hello,

My lesson usually starts with some sight-reading which might be a solo piece or (more fun and less stressful!) a duet with my teacher.

Then we look at the pieces I've been working on that week - first a play-through of wherever I've got up to with it, then going back over any tricky passages in detail and covering alternative fingerings, changes of bowing and tutoring on specific techniques relevant to those passages. But never just playing a complete piece through over and over. I usually have two or three pieces on the go at once, so I have no chance to get bored!

Presumably the structure of your lesson would be different according to your instrument, your current standard and whether or not you are working towards exams - not to mention the individual personalities and teaching/learning styles of both you and your teacher.

Obviously you may have already decided you would clash with the teacher you are writing about. But if you haven't, then don't be too quick to try another teacher straight away. A first lesson with a new teacher is always a bit tricky as you don't know one another yet, you've probably only had one piece prepared and they haven't had chance to see how you get on with some homework. It gets a lot easier and less artificial-feeling after the first couple of lessons - I should know, I've had about 8 teachers because when I was in my teens they all kept having babies and emigrating and stuff! My playing wasn't that bad, honest!

Posting a reply as a piano teacher - I dread to think I might be boring - I can't think of anything worse. I am always alert to signs from the pupil - mind wandering, yawning and if they are looking at the clock to find out what time it is!!! Usually I try to use a piece as a springboard for various activities during the lesson. Activities might be based on visual analysis, aural work, improvisation, getting a feel for good fingering and patterns or just help in how to practise properly. It all depends on the pupil's learning style and how they learn best.

A teacher would usually have some kind of thought through plan or idea before a lesson, even if only as a starting point or somewhere to go from - even with brand new pupils. The teacher would then select what is needed for a particular pupil on that day even if the original plan is not used. An effective teacher will show some evidence that they actually care about and enjoy teaching. If you are a new pupil I would have thought there would be some discussion in a first lesson about your learning needs.

My piano lessons usually start with a few minutes discussing what I've "discovered" since last lesson (can be anything - problems with particular bars, piece I heard and want to try, or excuses for not practising enough ). After that I play through a piece once and we discuss about it overall. I then play again for a second time trying to incorporate the teacher's comments and she stops me at whichever points needing particlular attention and we work on those bars in detail. Relevant technical exercises may be tried out if needed. The same would then be repeated for other pieces; I usually have 3-4 pieces at different stages. At the end of the lesson, my teacher usually suggests practise tips to help with any particularly tricky bits in the next section of the pieces I'm working on, or we discuss a new piece to be learned for next lesson.

On the harp, which I just started, on the other hand, a typical lesson involves first going through selected finger techniques already learned and then sight reading through a few pieces/exercises which use those techniques. Then new techniques are learned and related exercises/pieces tried out. After that we work on polishing my "repertoire pieces". Finally, teacher explains how/what to practise and, in addition to the proper homework, she also suggest some pieces I can play just for fun.

Good luck with your search, violin111

I can't ever think of a time when I was bored during my lesson. I used to have half hour but now I have an hour. If it is piano we usually start with warm up pieces or scales an on occasions we go straight into pieces that I am working on. If it is theory then we sit right down and get on with where we left off, this may be working through my homework. Either way I don't get time to be bored, the time just whizzes by and even now my lessons have increased to one hour the time just isn't enough.

Maybe you need to talk to the teacher and explain what you would like from your lessons, as I suppose until you have built up a rapport together it is probably quite difficult. Whereas when you start from scratch with a teacher they know exactly were they are going with you.

ET

I have a 30min lesson every week that usually runs into an hour and I LOVE them!!

Usually it strarts out with me sight reading a piece to practice that skill and we then break the piece down to perfect it whilst working on technique and rhythm.

Last lesson for example I sight read 3 short studies and we then went through them. each piece my teacher selected required a different skill - one was an odd dotted rhythm, one required lots of use of alternate fingering and the other was a swing rhythm and after I sight read them she went through what I should watch out for and taught me new techniques - I find lessons like this really refreshing and challenging!!