When You Can't See It

There are many reasons why you should pay a teacher to study an instrument. One of the big ones not often talked about, is the fact that a teacher can see your progress from week to week.

If you are serious about your playing and practice diligently every day in hopes of making seriously noticeable improvement, you might actually not see the progress you're making. When you’ve got your nose to the road, running as fast as you can, it's possible to be blind the landscape ahead.

It's one of the frustrating aspects of learning: not realizing that you're making progress. I know it first hand. I've experienced it many times in my musical journey. An good observant teacher who cares for their students will notice the progression on an exercise or piece. A really good teacher will be able to articulate said progression in terms that the student can understand. That’s invaluable because I’ve known too many student who quit because they are convinced they’re not progressing an inch!

Now, does it mean that you’re always moving forward, that you have a smooth ride towards perfection, that you never hit any plateau? No, it doesn’t, but, then again, with a good teacher, you’ll get through those tricky moments in a much smoother and encouraging way. You might have a wide range of assignments, for example, some fairly easy that can be achieved in one week, some that are more difficult, and some that have you hitting a ceiling, that you will eventually conquer in time. Again, the right teacher is the key here.