Welcome to the Year 2021!

Posted on by December 28, 2020

Welcome to the Year 2021

2021Welcome to the year 2021! It’s my deepest belief that 2021 will be a year for hope, healing, and renewal. We made it through the terrible 2s (2020), so it’s time to reap our rewards!

The year 2020 has been unlike any year in my entire six-plus decades on this planet. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say, with great enthusiasm, I’m happy that year is OVER!

If I’m being honest, 2020 wasn’t 100% bad for me; in fact, there were tremendous upsides to balance the tremendous downsides of it. So, from a personal standpoint, I would be doing the wonderful things I experienced a grave disservice by labeling the entire year of 2020 as a dismal failure. Yes, it was awful, but if you’re reading this, you’re still here, and that in itself is great.

Right Notes Music has continued to offer music lessons through it all, albeit with some interesting challenges. After suffering a debilitating injury (temporary, thank goodness) that sidelined me for several weeks, we all suffered a debilitating blow. For me, almost immediately after roaring back from my injury with a nearly full roster, I lost more than half of my students due to THE VIRUS (TV) scare and subsequent lockdown. Since the summer I’ve managed to recover a few, but right when I think I may get most of them back, another “crisis” ensues, throwing all plans out of the window.

Thankfully, I’ve been teaching online for quite some time, so the transition wasn’t terrible. But being forced online as a necessity presented some interesting conundrums. Prior to 2020, it was my ultimate goal to teach 75% or more online, eventually, just for the sake of location flexibility. The only reason I didn’t achieve my goal prior to the arrival of TV, was a bit of laziness on my part, and the level of comfort and joy seeing students in person gave me. Pre-TV, with some encouragement, I might have had more willing students’ for online lessons. Post-TV? That’s a whole other can of worms.

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That Was Then…

That was then… 2020, that is. This is now. Well, any minute now it’ll be 2021. A year full of hope and healing is up at-bat, headed for the plate.

I’ve upgraded my equipment considerably for online teaching in order to give my students a much better learning experience. I still try each and every day to add something new or improve in some way, always seeking to make the learning environment better and better. Better sound, picture, upgraded connection. Now, I’m working on helper visual aids…

They say necessity is the mother of invention. I have to agree. Not only have I improved my online teaching dramatically, but I’ve come to enjoy it so much more than before. I thought it might be a love/hate thing, but it’s really not. I enjoy it very much. We were all forced out of our comfort zones and into, for many of us, uncharted, or barely explored territories. Turbulent seas, in fact. 2020 was our “learning curve,” and it was steep and peppered with hairy challenges (from Hades, I’d say), but…

2021? Well, now, I want to believe 2021 is our year to reap what we’ve sown in the way of redefining our lives and our work, through sheer will and necessity. 2021 will be our reward for surviving a year none of us could have ever imagined in 2019 (except for sadists—they must have loved 2020). Yes, a bounty is coming, greater than we could have expected. I believe it. Do you?

If you’re interested in learning guitar, piano, or ukulele and/or need help doing so, please mosey over to my Rate, Policies, Etc page for details. The rest of the website has a plethora of posts on my teaching background, philosophy, methods, etc.

Being a Private Music Teacher

Posted on by March 5, 2020

Being A Private Music Teacher

The upside of being a private music teacher is that it’s an incredible, rewarding, endeavor. The downside? It can also be frustratinbeing a private music teacherg, infuriating, aggravating and yes, even boring. Hey, I’m just being honest. But the rewarding part of the equation always, always, always, trumps the downside.

When you have the opportunity to change people’s lives—young and old alike—by opening up their world to something as amazing as music, well, there’s no greater reward. Music to me is lifeblood. I cannot imagine my world without it. And when I see the “Aha!” look on a student’s face when they finally get “it,” it’s almost better than anything. When I sit and listen to a student who came to me not even knowing a thing about music, beautifully play a classical piece on the piano; or listen to a student play and sing a song they wrote on the guitar; or hear a student sing a note they never thought possible, I know I have the best “job” on the planet.

The Downside

So what about being a private music teacher is frustrating? Oh, there’s a lot, but for example, when I take on a new student, I try my best to temper their expectations in order to keep them from quitting from frustration after two, three, or four lessons. I also emphasize the importance of daily practice that will aid greatly in their progress. Learning to play music, to become a musician is not an immediate gratification activity. Even though I try to drill into their heads it will take practice and time, some students just won’t practice, or they “practice” but not enough or not properly, and end up quitting after a few lessons.

What’s infuriating? That’s an easy one. When students quit right before it’s time to pay for the next month of lessons—with no notice. I ask that they give me a month’s notice, at the very least, two weeks out of courtesy. It’s an agreement when we start lessons together; yet, inevitably, I’ll have a student quit with no notice. When students do that, it is infuriating. Perhaps they didn’t want to tell me ahead of time thinking they wouldn’t get my full attention, which couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, when I’m given a full month’s notice, I tend to focus my attention on them even more. Why? Because, 1) I want to make sure they leave me on a positive note; and 2) it gives me a month of lessons to see if I can address why they’re leaving. So yeah, it infuriates me because it’s so frustrating.
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Being a private music teacher can also be aggravating. Here’s an excellent example of aggravation: I have had students who are given assignments by me, the professional who they’re paying to teach them, and they’ll come to their lesson having not practiced their assignment, and will instead challenge me on something they found on YouTube. Really? Usually, what they’ve found is far outside the scope of what I’m teaching at the moment.

I know, some teachers will say, “You should teach the student what they’re interested in.” That’s fine for some teachers. I don’t teach cafeteria style. Sure, let’s “read” Moby Dick before you’ve learned the alphabet. My students don’t get to pick and choose what they learn. If that’s what they want, I am not the right teacher for them, which shouldn’t be a surprise because I tell them right up front how I teach.

Now, I mentioned that being a private music teacher can be boring. It can. From time to time, I’ll have a student who doesn’t practice, doesn’t really want to be there, but their parents insist. I’ll put up with it for a little while, to give the student a chance to discover the love of music and/or their instrument. At a certain point, I’ll sever the relationship. If it’s boring for me, it’s got to be horrible for the student, and that’s not why I teach. My job is not to make students hate music and scar their psyches for life. I want to inspire my students and give them a gift that they’ll carry to the end of their days, not bore them to death.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line for me is, you could triple the downside of being a private music teacher, and I’d still choose it as my primary vocation every time. The reward of teaching music transcends all of the negatives combined. When I help create a musician, I improve the world just a little bit. Now, tell me, what can be better than that?

Private Music Lessons or the Internet? It Depends…

Posted on by May 2, 2017

Learn by Private Music Lessons or The Internet?

It Depends…

When faced with the question of what’s better, to learn from private music lessons or the internet, my answer is, “It depends.”

Private Music LessonsI’ve been playing music for a long, long time. I’m mostly self-taught, long before the internet was even a notion. To be fair, over the years, I have taken private music lessons on various instruments from time to time. Some were helpful, some were not. Today, if there’s something new I want to explore or learn, I’ll go to the internet rather than searching out a teacher to show me one specific thing I want to know.

I often say that if the internet had been around when I was a kid trying to teach myself how to play, I’d be a phenomenal musician today—a musical genius, in fact. Only because I was self-taught, though. I have the ability that if I see something done, if I have a burning desire to do so, I can often figure it out for myself. For example, I used to watch Midnight Special when I was a young adult, just to catch a glimpse of some chord or little lick I could add to my repertoire. We didn’t have VCRs then, or any type of instant replay, so whatever I saw in that moment, I had to grab it or… wait for the next wave, so-to-speak. Continue reading →

Comparing Apples to Apples

Posted on by June 30, 2017

Comparing Apples to Apples

And You Are The Apple

comparing apples to applesWe’ve all heard the old adage, “Comparing apples to oranges, versus comparing apples to apples.” It’s a good one, and ultimately points to the advantage of comparing apples to apples when deciding with whom to compare your progress when learning a new instrument, song, or piece.

I’ve been teaching private music lessons for several years now, and I’ve been a musician for nearly half a century. One thing I know for sure is that making the incorrect comparison for your progress can be… Continue reading →

Stop Wishing Hoping Dreaming—Take Lessons

Posted on by June 30, 2017

Stop Wishing Hoping Dreaming

Take Action Now—Take Lessons

Stop wishing, hoping, and dreaming about learning an instrument, or wanting to sing better! Time waits for no one. Tomorrow quickly turns into next month, then next year… when I’m reitred… Don’t wait. Take action now. Take lessons!

Spring is coming, followed by summer, then autumn and before you know it, winter again, and all the holidays that go with it. You can’t stop the progress of the seasons, the passing of the years or decades. But you can stop time slipping away from you before you can even achieve your dreams.

 Take Action Take Lessons

Imagine yourself this summer, sitting outside with your friends, around the fire, a b’zillion stars twinkling down on you from above, crickets singing in the background, and you feeling as if someone should be breaking out the guitar or the ukulele to sing everyone’s favorite songs. You could be your friend’s favorite person ever—if it was you.

Or when the holiday season comes around and that piano in the living room sitting empty and silent, when someone could be banging out festive tunes, making lasting memories.

Yep. Sounds awesome. You want it to be you, but… sadly, you don’t know how to play the guitar, or the ukulele, or the piano, and even your voice could use a little work. It could be you if only..

Perseverance and Determination

Posted on by August 22, 2015

Perseverance and Determination

Perseverance and DeterminationPerseverance

noun

1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

Synonyms

1. doggedness, steadfastness. Perseverance, persistence, tenacity, pertinacity imply resolute and unyielding holding on in following a course of action.

Determination

noun
1. the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose…
6. the quality of being resolute; firmness of purpose.
When taking on the challenge of learning an instrument and/or music, there are no other words or actions that can have more of a positive and lasting impact than perseverance and determination.
Yes, practice is important and key to learning your instrument, as has been mentioned in numerous Right Notes Music blog pieces, but to get the most out of your practice in order to conquer difficulties, a healthy dose of perseverance and of determination is necessary for success.

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On a daily basis I remind my students of the importance of perseverance and determination, especially when they are confronted with a roadblock in their learning process. Until they actually experience the satisfaction of success, what I am saying may seem impossible at the time. How can this most difficult, impossible, thing be achievable? It’s too hard! Oh, how many times have I heard that?

Continue reading →

Be Happy — Play Ukulele

Posted on by April 16, 2015

Be Happy — Play Ukulele

Whenever I’m blue, I think to myself, “Be happy — play ukulele.” Then I pull one of my ukes out, and after a short while, I feel happy.

play ukuleleSince the first ukulele craze hit the mainland United States in 1915, the ukulele has experienced a waxing and waning popularity, growing over the last hundred years into a worldwide phenomenon. Every twenty-five years or so, a new generation discovers the wonderful little instrument, putting their own creative, new age, spin on it — as they should because it is a wonderful and fun instrument to learn and play. Today, we’re in the midst of yet another global ukulele craze, and there is no shortage of ukuleles of varying degrees of quality and price from myriad manufacturers.

At the age of four, the ukulele was the very first instrument ever placed in my hands as a prop for a photo shoot, though it took me many, many years, during another popularity resurgence, before I bought my own little red Epiphone soprano and learned to play ukulele.

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At that point in my life I’d been playing guitar for a long time. Although I had learned to play on a junk guitar for the first four years of my playing and knew how important it was to play as good a quality instrument as one can afford, at the time, the little Epiphone was the best quality available in my local music store. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a terrible instrument. Of all my ukes, it’s still my favorite, and has afforded me nearly twenty years of passive enjoyment; but I was never inspired to fly with it. I’d never been tempted to “go all uke” with it.

When a new adult student, or the parents of a new student ask me what ukulele they should buy to learn with, I tell them, “Buy the most you can afford, and ideally something you think you might Continue reading →

The Study of Music

Posted on by April 16, 2015

the study of musicThe Study of Music

“There is no other single subject in the entire field of education that offers as many advantages as does the study of music.”

While sorting through music in my studio, I happened across an old music folder from Bob Westcott’s Signature School of Music and found the following on the back of the folder:

MUSIC is a relaxing hobby!

MUSIC is a cultural activity!

MUSIC teaches self reliance!

MUSIC demands self discipline!

MUSIC can help build character!

MUSIC teaches good citizenship!

MUSIC is a recognized profession!

MUSIC  is a form of self expression!

MUSIC trains for good study habits!

MUSIC develops bodily coordination!

MUSIC helps to bring out personality!

MUSIC brings a recognition of beauty!

MUSIC draws the family closer together!

MUSIC provides training in memory work!

MUSIC brings social and emotional maturity!

MUSIC improves senses of rhythm and pitch!

MUSIC is an aid to good mental and physical health!

MUSIC generates loyal participation in group activities!

MUSIC knowledge is one of the marks of an educated person!

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It’s really difficult to dispute any of the above claims; and yet, more and more school systems look to the study of music as the first to go when faced with budget shortfalls. Families often see private music study as a luxury, when in fact, the study of music has shown, at the very least, an improvement in grades.

When I was seven, my parents vetoed my request for learning an instrument when I entered second grade in public school because they felt $3 a month was too much for them to pay for instrument rental. I suppose the fact that the instrument I wanted to learn was the concert bass also may have had an impact on their decision, but keeping in mind the times — the early 1960s — when an ice cream bar at lunch was a nickel, and gas was three cents a gallon, it was ultimately too much for their budget. My mom was also self-taught on the piano, saxophone and accordion, so I think there was an expectation that I could do the same. Eventually I did, but I do think the study of music in a structured setting at a young age, with other kids my age, would have made a strong impact on many aspects of my life. With my own personal experience in mind, I am a strong advocate of children studying music as early as possible.

The unhappy chore of organization normally has me dragging my feet and finding myriad other activities to distract me. Today that chore was rewarded with a wonderful list of benefits one can attain from the study of music. As a music teacher, the lesson of the day is not the list, for of course I know these things. The list beautifully defines the riches to be gained from the study of music in terms of living an enriched life from it. No, the lesson for me is to stay organized and stop procrastinating!

Your Vocal Instrument

Posted on by April 16, 2015

vocal instrumentYour Vocal Instrument

Learning an instrument is a challenging endeavor at any age, especially when learning how to play your vocal instrument. No matter the instrument of choice, at the very least, there are notes and theory to learn. Depending upon the chosen instrument, there are also keys or valves to press, strings to pluck or press, bows to bow, positions to master, mouth shapes to learn and so on. There’s a lot to do learning an instrument. Once you learn your notes and what to press or blow to make those notes, however, the rest is practice, practice, practice. What comes after that depends on pure talent.

Many believe singing is easy, and other musicians, even, may even feel that singers aren’t real musicians. It’s true. The misperception is true, anyway. Everyone can sing, can’t they? Well, not exactly. A few hours in a karaoke bar is all the proof you need that everyone cannot sing well. In fact, you might even leave that bar believing that certain people should never sing. There oughta be a law! Continue reading →

Work Ethic In Practice

Posted on by April 16, 2015

Work Ethic In Practice

work ethic in practice

Like a broken record repeating the same phrase over and over again, when given the opportunity, I will continue to emphasize the importance of practice… practice… practice… practice, because it’s imperative for improvement and mastery of one’s instrument(s). There’s no substitute if you want to give a great performance. That’s especially true when performing with others. There’s a work ethic in practice. Yes, of course, practice is hard work. It’s mostly work. Not always fun. Not “play.” Work. Perhaps most important in teaching music, and when you’re drilling the concept of practice into a young student, you’re giving them what will be the foundation for a strong work ethic. An ingrained and strong work ethic almost always guarantees success — in anything.

As a private music teacher who also performs, either as a solo artist or in a group, I often encounter one particular annoying issue with too many students, as well as with some of my fellow musicians; and that is, the obvious lack of a meaningful work ethic in practice, or otherwise. Continue reading →

ABCs of Practice

Posted on by April 16, 2015
Musicians Practice

PracticeThe ABCs of practice when deciding what type of musician you will be.

Exploring the ABCs of practice when deciding what type of musician you will be.

If I were to ask you, dear students, what type of musician you want to be:

a) bad (and not the good kind)
b) okay
c) good
d) really good
e) awesome

What would be your answer?

Do you know that 4 of the 5 answers have one basic thing in common?

“b)” through “e)” musicians PRACTICE regularly. Ah. Obviously, the more you practice, the more likely you will achieve your highest goal. How much and how often you need to practice is determined by several factors, such as your natural talent, your practice methods, your practice schedule, and what you practice; but the bottom line still is, in order to be a b) through e) musician — unless you’re incredibly gifted — you need to practice regularly. It’s an unavoidable reality.

“a)” musicians, well… they don’t practice. At least not regularly, and maybe not even at all.

I’ve played with “musicians” who don’t practice, and to be blunt, I can tell you, they suck. Hey, *I* suck when I don’t practice. Non-practiced musicians are a total drag to play with, or listen to. I’ll have to write a whole other essay on that subject, because I have strong opinions about it that will overshadow the message I’m trying to convey here. Continue reading →

Why Teach Music?

Posted on by April 16, 2015

Why Teach Music?

As a music teacher, the answer for me is an easy one. I love music, and I love helping my students understand how music works and how to make music with their instrument. So I teach music. Simple and true, but certainly not compelling enough to convince parents, school boards or other governing bodies to give music study as high a priority as science and math.

why teach music?For many, the study of music is considered a waste of valuable time that should be spent on so-called serious academic studies. From the time I was very young, even though we still had vibrant music programs, sadly, music was considered by many parents and students to be the easy A, or the goof off subject. Sandbox and Basket Weaving as a family friend used to call my major. His attitude made me feel “less than,” and almost like a slacker because I wasn’t majoring in worthy pursuits such as science or history.

Certainly not everyone thought that way, but as the years have passed, more and more music programs have been cut because they’re considered not serious pursuits, and the shrinking budgets need to support the more traditional courses (and cramming for tests). We thought the cutbacks were bad back in my day — the 1970s — but compared to now, we had amazing programs.

A while back I ran across a fantastic explanation on Facebook why music should be taught. Continue reading →