By: Edward Droscher
The best way to learn an instrument is to find a music teacher. In fact the best way to learn anything in life is to find a tutor of your chosen subject and to take on the task head on - to learn from actually doing.
People say that you learn from your mistakes – partly true due to the fact you end up knowing what NOT to do. But I believe there is a key point missed here – at least you are actually DOING something.
A teacher is someone to show you the path, the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. At the end of the day they know what they are doing and talking about – you probably don’t – and it’s because of this, the fact that you put all of your trust into your teacher, that you should be very careful about ensuring the one you choose is up for the job.
Here is some advice on choosing your teacher and what to look out for.
Advice 1 - Previous Experience.
It is essential that your teacher has experience in two specific areas – performing music and teaching music. It is important that your music teacher is actually a musician – the best example I can give is this – imagine that instead of learning an instrument you want to learn how to scuba dive. Would you let yourself be taught by someone who has studied diving from a book but who has never actually been under the water?
If your teacher shows that he has performed music it gives you some guarantee that they are of a high enough standard musically – chances are they wouldn't have been hired if they couldn’t play their instrument.
The second is teaching experience. After discussing how it is important for your teacher to have actually been, or still is involved in music it is also important that the have experience in teaching music. Teaching is a completely different art to performing. Most musicians tell me that they learn more through teaching than they do from any other source - when you teach you instantly reveal your own weak points.
The opposite of this is true as well actually – how many times have you heard someone who recently passed their driving test say you don’t learn how to drive until your out on the road on your own – after your lessons and test (This carries over to a future article – Why performing is critical to your progress as a musician.)
So – make sure your teacher is both a musician and a teacher.