On Being a Good Student

Be a teachable student! Come to all your lessons prepared and with a willingness to explore and learn. I'm always amazed by the number of students whose main contribution to lessons are excuses as to why they have not completed their preparation. It is easier than EVER to prepare: there are free downloads of scores, youtube offers free videos of almost any performance worldwide and you can bring your music with you on your ipod , tablet or smartphone to study wherever you go!  Digital downloads are almost instantaneous. I remember going to the library to get scores and purchasing CD's, which were quite a luxury on a college student's budget. Becoming the musician you desire to be starts NOW and with everything you do. Bring questions to your lesson, and bring opinions too. After all, lively discussions can only happen if each person brings something to the table. Be excited to learn and keep that fire through all your practice sessions. Work, grow, explore, improve and create.....becoming an artist means being a good apprentice first.