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The Value of Group Playing


I am always continually surprised how playing an instrument is always somehow "different" than other arts and pastimes.  Assumptions we would never make about other intellectual pursuits somehow become reasonable logic when learning music.  Like how the number of pieces a student knows should somehow be a reflection of the student's proficiency.

Even though we must spend countless hours practicing, playing an instrument should not be a solitary activity. Nothing opens up a student musically more than playing with a group. Now, this is not to say that we cannot find enjoyment in playing alone. However, this enjoyment usually bubbles up in our adult years when music becomes a relaxing break from the stresses of real life. Children, on the other hand, need the social interaction.

A good private lesson should be a mix of flexibility and correctness. A private teacher needs to be flexible enough to address the individual needs of individual students on a day-to-day basis. However, this does not change the fact that the underlying goal of the private lesson is about correctness. Adjusting posture, correcting tone, fixing wrong notes, learning how to do something better... this is the core of the experience.

This is why group experiences are so important. They are the yin to the private lesson yang. Yes, students will be corrected in group class. But the core of the experience is about learning flexibility. Going tempos you aren't 100% comfortable with, getting a little lost in the music, not being quite sure what's going on and trying to figure out what you should do, trying to match the group's style... all things that force adaptation rather than precision.

This is why group and private lessons are seen as separate but equally important experiences. A student needs correctness and flexibility in order to flourish as a musician.

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