Your first lesson
One of the best things you can do for yourself if your goal is to know how to play an instrument, is to take music lessons. Your tutor will be able to guide you, support you and teach you both the knowledge and skills required to enable you to play really well the music that inspires you.
You might feel some anxiety or nerves about your very first music lesson. I want you to know that is quite normal to feel this way: you are about to start something new, and that is always a daunting situation to be in. This post is to help you feel a bit more calm and confident about this very first lesson, by letting you know what to expect from it and how best to prepare yourself.
What to expect from your first music lesson
Here’s a list of components the tutor will most likely go through during this first lesson.
Some discussion about:
Your goals: your tutor will want to know what specifically you want to achieve. What music you want to learn, what style/genre of music you enjoy, whether you are interested in taking exams. Be super honest and transparent here so that your tutor can plan your curriculum according to your needs and wants.
A plan for achieving the goals: your tutor may start brainstorming with you some kind of plan or journey for getting you from where you are now to where you want to be in the future. This could be learning how to read music, how to play with both hands, how to sight-read etc.
Expectations: setting expectations early on is a really important aspect to make sure both the tutor and you are on the same page. Your tutor will set some expectations in regards especially to practise i.e. how much time we are expecting you to practise during the week after each lesson.
Your prior musical experience if you have any: tutors love to know whether you already know a thing or do about music. It enables them to assess your current level, if there are any gaps in your knowledge or technique, and it ensures they do not teach you something you already know.
Some music-making:
Perform something you know: if you already know how to play, your tutor will most definitely want to hear you play it! Be ready to give a little performance. Again, the tutor will use this performance to assess where you’re at, not so much whether you are good or bad, so no need to stress about it.
Rote-learning melodies: during your first lesson, time might be too limited to teach you how to read music, so instead your teacher will show you how to play a simple tune and by rote-learning it, you’ll be able to go home and rehearse it!
Improvising: your tutor might get you to improvise (make music up on the spot) with them. This is a really fun little activity meant to break the ice a little bit. Use this improvisation activity to get to know the instrument better, and to have fun!
Making up a song: by picking a couple of notes, you can create a simple melody. Your tutor will be able to accompany you as you play your newly-composed melody.
Some theory:
Musical alphabet: your tutor might introduce you to the musical alphabet, or to a couple of notes: where they are located on the instrument and what they look like on the staff.
Rhythmic values: your tutor might introduce you to different rhythmic values and get you to count and play.
Fingering: sometimes, very specific fingers are required to play very specific notes, this is called fingering. Fingering is often marked in the music. Becoming familiar with how fingering works early on is important, so be ready to start learning about this concept!
Some instrument discovery:
How the instrument actually works: what process(es) are required for this instrument to make a sound? Do you know how the instrument is constructed, and all the mechanisms within it?
What do the instrument accessories do? The pedals on a piano, the pedals or levers on a harp?
Low/high sounds: on which end of the instrument are the low and deep notes? What about the high notes?
Patterns that you can see on the instrument: what is the black/white key pattern on the piano? And what about the coloured strings on the harp? Why do these patterns exist?
How to prepare for your first lesson
Think about your goals and have a clear vision for what you want to achieve. You can even organise a playlist of the music you would want to learn eventually!
Be prepared to play something (if you already know how to play)
Prepare any questions you may have regarding lessons, playing, the instrument or whatever else you can think of. We love questions!
Put together your music lesson bag: a notebook/student diary, a pencil, sharpener and an eraser, as well as your music books if you have purchased them already
Come with a beginner’s mind - be curious about everything, and be keen to learn all you can. Be curious about what you can do, not judgmental about what you can’t do.
We hope you enjoyed this post and that you feel slightly more prepared about your first lesson! We wish you all the very best in your musical journey and don’t hesitate to visit our blog again for more advice and tips!
Eliza
