This is an age of virtual reality and instant answers are a click away. New guitar students are often surprised that their teacher can’t give them ten years worth of knowledge in one year. A half-hour lesson each week computes to 26 hours annually. That’s only about 5 full days of schooling! As a teacher, my hope is that students will practice at least 15 minutes a day. The reality is that a student is often over booked with many other activities and they often end up exhausted. These are the days of “try a little bit of everything,” but less really can be more.

If students are practicing on their instrument for 1 ½ hours a week in addition to their half-hour lesson, that’s a total of two hours per week. To play on a sports team, a coach will insist on at least two hours of practice a day. Adding in games, that’s about 14 hours per week. I heard the phrase recently that a musician is a “small muscle athlete”. Music is an art form that involves and improves cognitive skills, math skills, muscle development and memory. Often the element of individual discovery is joyous. Each person acquires skills and knowledge that will bring them both fulfillment and fun. It can be a place to go for the rest of life’s journey.

Being in the moment and creating your own music can be a self evolving, growing, wonderful process. Put in the time to earn the pride…..onward!