“How do I make any progress and have fun in music lessons again?” Really, this question has two parts. We’ll deal with the have fun part first.
Mark Twain said (paraphrased), “To one man climbing a mountain is work to another man it’s fun.”
- We know from psychology that external motivators will make fun things feel like work.
- For example, when you do music for money, applause, or parental/teacher praise it can make music feel like work.
- However, it’s fun when you do it for yourself just because you want to.
As a professional, I find I must constantly reinvent the fun, or yes, it becomes work. When I reinvent the fun, it shows in my teaching.
I work hard to make lessons fun for my students.
- When they have fun it’s not as hard to get them to practice.
- Many of my student’s parents have commented that they don’t have to tell their kids to practice.
- The students just do it on their own because they want to.
How do you make music fun again?
- Ask your music teacher (if you have one) if you can work on a song for fun. One that you get to choose but that’s still within your skill level. Working on a fun song that you select will help motivate you and add energy to your playing.
- Try improvising. Improvising is open ended (because you make up whatever you want), so it can be a fun musical activity. To learn how to improvise, click here.
- Also, you need to understand the difference between practicing and playing. Make sure you have both aspects in your musical life.