What children really get out of music lessons (cont.)
By Philip Johnston

Page 3 of 11

Responding to Criticism (without taking things personally)

Despite music teachers’ focus on the positives, music lessons are often largely about reshaping things that are not working so well.

		In eight years of lessons, music students would have had their work under scrutiny – and, if a lack of preparation warrants it, under attack – on over three hundred occasions.

This means we have to tell it like it is sometimes. Your dynamics are flat. The presto section is simply not fast enough yet. Your pedalling stinks and I don’t think you have ever checked the fingering in that passage on page two.

And the toughest calls of all? The idea you have spent so much time on for the development section of the Brahms Sonata simply doesn’t work. Here’s why. And don’t pull that face at me, I’ve been doing this for a long time, you have to trust me here.

The end result is that music students learn at an early age to regularly accept advice and feedback from people more knowledgable than themselves. They experience first hand the value of implementing that advice, and come back each week ready for more.

In so doing, they learn the power of an age-old combination for self improvement – hard work, and acting on the counsel of a mentor.

It is sad, but plenty of children are not exposed to this process in the normal course of growing up – not through any shortcoming of the parents, but because having a mentor who supervises the development of a new skill does not just happen. Parents have to sign up for it. It probably doesn’t matter whether it is music lessons, or chess training, or gymnastics, but it has to be something.

Why is the process so valuable? It produces adults who are more willing to consider the views of those around them, and who will know when to wisely defer to those who have demonstrated a greater mastery of the subject at hand. They will consult more often, refine their ideas based on trusted feedback from others, and produce better results.

In eight years of lessons, music students would have had their work under scrutiny – and, if a lack of preparation warrants it, under attack – on over three hundred occasions. One-on-one, so there is no way of sidestepping the criticisms. The positive impact of this goes beyond mere sixteenth notes, and stays with them permanently.

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