Happy New Year!

It’s that time of year. Time to jump right into school and music lessons. Are you ready? At Lochwood we are getting ready to dive headfirst back into lessons and we couldn’t be more excited and ready. Our teachers have recouped from the past year and are ready to prepare their students to the best of their ability and there are some changes at the studio and our web presence. As a studio we are planning new activities and we are excited about getting you involved.

Many times we think of New Years Resolutions in January, but here at Lochwood we think of August as a time to begin again….to begin anew. Students, take a moment and think about how you can make the best of your lesson and practice time. Rather than thinking you must sit and play something for 30 minutes, focus on the quality of practice. Clap out a tricky rhythm, use alternate rhythms, use the metronome, count out loud … do things that make practice fun but effective.

Yesterday I was teaching and asked my student to block the LH on the piano while she played the right hand melody. She complained that it was hard …. It was supposed to be “hard”. Once she got the hang of blocking and then played the music as written, it worked and she noticed how much easier it was to play. Practice may be hard, but done correctly it is very effective and your progress is faster. Let’s make a resolution together to be the best students of the arts as we can be – your teachers are making that resolution, join us!