Are you planning on (or are already) being a dedicated music student? In the flute world there are many really great scholars. Are you one of them? Let’s find out as you learn today how to grade yourself as a music student.
I recently had one of my non-formal students ask me to please give them an official grade just as if they were one of my college students. Interesting? Here’s some of the criteria I use. You may find this interesting as you try to grade yourself.
You, ultimately are the one performing the skill.
I am an A student. Are you? In this article, I’m only going to list out the efforts of an A student, because anything happening not on this list will be an easy determination of a lower grade.
Do you:
- Know how to prepare a piece to 100% perfection? (on any level)
- Have beautiful, full, clear tone?
- Practice daily?
- Set goals and achieve them?
- Perform for others?
It’s not always up to your instructor to get you to the 100% perfect stage on any particular passage or piece. You, ultimately are the one performing the skill. And, unless your teacher is your mother (happens in my house!) you probably have many days or weeks between seeing them anyway. So, it is up to you to slllllow down and make sure it’s right. Really right.
Tone is one of those things that eludes self-learners unless they have the right instruction, AND learn how to pay special attention to what is being heard. There are so many tiny little details in every single sound. Being able to recognize the foreign or distracting nuances inside a tone is one part of being up on a higher level. The next step is knowing how to eliminate and change the things that keep your flute tone from being full and round. Do what it takes to learn this. If you don’t have a super instructor of your own, consider joining my TONE only course here at Learn Flute Online. Ask me about it, and I’ll point you to the starting date.
Being self-disciplined enough to practice daily is a definite must in the world of dedication. Again, do what it takes to make it happen.
Setting goals and making them happen is a lifelong skill that spans way outside the realm of music study. Are you a goal setter? Do you make things happen? Now is a great time to evaluate this particular set of traits because you have the ability to become and do whatever you want. So, go and do it.
Lastly, do you take advantage of the people in your life? There are many music appreciators who would just love to be part of your learning experiment. If you can’t think of anyone right off, then think about the elderly within your reach. Can they use a weekly visit from you? How about a local preschool? I tell you that there are many forgiving and enthusiastic audiences who would just LOVE for you to spread some musical cheer into their lives.
So, after reading this how would you grade yourself as a music student? It’s time to evaluate and be awesome. Leave a comment or question. This is a good one to keep the discussion alive. See you soon!
