I stumbled across this today and I really like it. It is a refreshing reminder of what originally brings a student to the instrument and what it takes to live up to the expectations that were in his mind when he originally choose to pursue it. 

"If a student takes up an instrument it is because he is interested in playing it. It is because he has knowledge of how it is performed, and desires to do that. The only obstacle, if he has a good teacher, is practice and work. When confronted with the work, and the knowledge that he cannot perform adequately without doing this work over a long period of time, he may wish to quit. This does not change his desire to perform, it is only an adverse reaction to work put in versus tangible results in the short term. 

If the student is forced to do the work then he will then reach a level of performing where he can do what originally drew him to the instrument. At this time many students experience the ‘rush’ of being able to perform well for themselves and others. The student now enjoys the great gratification that any musician feels from being able to perform. There is no other way to provide this sense of accomplishment and pride without putting in the practice time. When the student experiences this level of playing he can make an informed decision about whether he wants to go on and pursue it further. If this happens you have given a great gift to that student that he would otherwise never have had." 
                                                                                                 -Adapted from Gregg Goodhart. 
Micah
1/14/2011 03:16:41 am

I am so glad my parents "forced" me to practice. I wouldn't be making money as a musician if they hadn't. Thanks Mom and Dad for doing the hard thing...

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