Introduction to Blog
Welcome to the first blog post from Dow Street Community Music School – Noteworthy!! In this space, we will provide information about music education, discussion of the benefits of learning to play an instrument, helpful practice tips, advice from experts, and we will generally focus on the joy that music brings to our lives. In short, we hope this blog will inspire you to listen to music, talk about music, play music!! The plan for the blog is to provide new content every two or three weeks, to offer perspectives from a variety of people, and to provide an opportunity for your comments to add to the discussion.
Adult Beginner Music Students
Adults taking music lessons is the focus for this blog. Many adult students take lessons at Dow Street Music. They take lessons for a variety of reasons. Some have always wanted to learn to play an instrument, but did not have the opportunity as a child. A few of the adult students played an instrument earlier in their lives and wanted to get back to playing because it is a source of joy for them. Other adults like the idea of a challenge while some adults want to improve overall health, including improving concentration, dexterity, and mood.
This is my story. My name is Jill Austin. I am the board president and a volunteer at Dow Street Community Music School. Recently, I retired from a faculty role at the MTSU Jones College of Business. When I was about ten years old, I received a guitar for Christmas; I was excited. I wanted to learn to play, but I never did. After three years of learning to play piano when I was in elementary school, I moved on to other activities like playing tennis and working at my family’s movie theater. Now as a retired person, I have time to learn to play guitar!! These are some things I have noticed through the learning process:
- It takes me some time to learn basics like the notes for the strings, cords, and strumming patterns. I’m not very musical and my brain is wired for organizing, management, and leadership. Repetition is important for the learning process.
- My fingers don’t always want to go correctly on the strings as I think they should. Building finger strength and dexterity is important.
- Counting and rhythm is not a strength of mine! I have a metronome and I’m getting better at this.
- Practice makes a difference – of course, it does!! (even 15 minutes a day when I don’t have more time).
- I played a simple version of “When You Wish Upon a Star” at a recent recital. That was scary, but I made it (with a few missed notes and a supportive teacher).
- Best of all, I’m having fun. It is fun to pick out a song that I know and it actually sounds like the song should sound (well almost).
- The longer I work at learning to play, the more confidence I have that I can improve. . . . And this keeps me practicing!!
Are you an adult who has always wanted to learn to play an instrument? My advice – try it! It will be frustrating and humbling at times, but it will also give you joy and a sense of accomplishment.
Let’s have a discussion on the DowStreetMusic Facebook page. Are you an adult new to music? Are you a teen or young adult who can provide some advice to beginner adults? Let’s talk about it!
Dow Street Community Music School is a 501c3 nonprofit; we offer individual and group music lessons to children, teens, and adults.