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From time to time teachers run into students that test their abilities....

 I'm not talking about pushing the limits of their playing but rather their method of teaching.

Most teachers have an approach to teaching that they know works best for the majority of students that come into the studio. Every student is different of course ... adapting to the musical goals of the student is rarely a problem for a good teacher.

However, there are times when you have a student that has lost motivation and/or their desire to practice consistently. And as you all know, if you don't prepare for the lesson, you make little progress week over week.

On the other hand, there are  also students that  have their own idea of what they want to learn and what they are willing to practice, regardless of the material covered in the lesson or their own playing ability.

Remember the old saying ... "Mother knows best" ?

In most cases,  your teacher KNOWS what you need to work on and you should trust them to have your best interest at heart. Not only that, if you are a student then you are paying your teacher to work around what YOU think is best. Not a good idea.

Guitar doesn't come easy and their is no magic pill that will give you instant gratification. If there were, we would have already bought a bottle or two of those magic pills.

With that said, here are three tips that will help you get the most out of our music lessons:

1. Always come prepared for your lesson. Bring all materials to your lesson and be ready to discuss the material and any problems, or success stories, you had during your practice week.
2. Practice the material given to you by your instructor. Trust your instructor! They have been in your shoes and are telling you what they wish someone would have told them when they were at your level. As much as you wish you could rip like Yngwie, if you can't play a minor pentatonic scale cleanly, you're not ready to tackle shred.
3. Stay in contact with your instructor throughout the week. A good instructor would much rather you call / email them to clarify something rather than practice incorrectly, or worse, not practice at all during the week. Get your instructors email/contact number. Find out which method is best for them and do it. If your instructor tells you they don't have time to do this or tries to charge you, move on to another teacher.

Remember this ... Learning to play music is a lifelong endeavor. There is no end point. You will always grow as a musician as long as you keep pushing yourself. Work hard every day and you will become the player you want to be!