Seven habits of highly effective music students

ByBret Pimentel
Photo, greek0529

Here are seven habits (apologies to Stephen Covey) I’ve observed so far in my most effective university music students—those that are making consistent improvement, performing successfully, and progressing toward graduation and career.

  1. Hit the practice rooms early. My best students don’t wait until the final hours of the day to get their practicing done. Practicing earlier on establishes in the student’s mind (and mine) that practicing is a priority. It also makes practice sessions more focused and less fatigue-prone, and encourages healthier sleep habits. (I do usually have the university’s music building to myself when I get to the office to practice at 7:00 am, but most weekdays a few student go-getters are warming up in the practice rooms by 8.)
  2. Use a pencil. A lot. I know it’s going to be a successful lesson when a student opens their etude book or repertoire piece and it’s covered with pencil marks. It shows me that students are getting to know their music in a meaningful, in-depth way, and that they are thinking through technical and interpretive issues. The students who keep their sheet music in perfect mint condition? Not so much.
  3. Show respect. My students have charming Southern manners (I’ve never been called “sir” so much in my life!). In my best students, the respect is evident not only in their language but in their attitudes and actions. They listen and follow instructions when I or their other professors speak, and also show conscientious respect for the university staff, their fellow students, concert audiences and community members, and everyone else.
  4. Seek out musical experiences. Like most university music students, mine have a requirement to attend a certain number of recitals and concerts per semester. Some of my students plan carefully in order to get the right number of performances in. But others attend every musical event on campus, and then go looking for more live music in the community. These same students are the ones who can’t wait to find out what next semester’s required recording will be.
  5. Diversify. Good music students have the problem of wanting to play (or sing) in all the ensembles. While it’s definitely possible to spread oneself too thin, and it’s not always possible to be in all the ensembles that are of interest, it is healthy to get a taste of lots of musical situations. My best woodwind students play not only in the concert bands, but also in chamber groups, jazz band, or marching band, sing in the choirs or opera troupe, or even seek out opportunities to gain ensemble experience on secondary instruments. Many also play or sing in local bands, church services, and so forth.
  6. Keep up with academic work. The students who are getting their practicing done, sitting first chair in the ensembles, putting on successful recitals, and otherwise training to be very fine musicians also seem to be the ones who are excelling in the academic side of their college studies. The ones who will have successful careers as musicians and music educators are gaining musical skills plus an organized, disciplined, and well-rounded approach to life.
  7. Self-motivate. With a long fall break weekend around the corner, a few of my top students have approached me to make sure we can reschedule the lessons they stand to miss. They are the same ones who get their practicing done without being bribed or threatened. Some of my other students, I think, are hoping that the break means not having to practice or prepare (or to face my wrath for once again failing to do so).

What kind of student are you?

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    ByBret Pimentel

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

    Here are some of the questions readers sent me in celebration of this blog’s 10-year anniversary. I have edited, combined, and otherwise adapted some of them but hopefully there are answers here for those of you who were kind enough to inquire.

    Why does music move humanity so profoundly?

    My personal belief is that music is divine in origin, and that there is something inherent to humankind that responds to music. Since I believe that everyone is a child of God, I suppose the love of music is a divinely-inherited trait. Leaders in my faith have said, for example, that “Music is given of God to further his purposes,” and observed “Music is truly the universal language, and when it is excellently expressed how deeply it moves our souls.”

    If that’s not your style, you may prefer Darwin’s speculation that the earliest attempts at human language were more like musical gestures than like words. An ability to relate to these sounds is at the foundation of language in the more modern sense, and thus underlies virtually all human experience and culture.

    In any case, even as a faith-plus-science kind of guy, I’m definitely out of my depth here, so feel free to share your theories in the comments.

    Are applied music studios in higher education sustainable considering the supply of music graduates exceeds available employment?

    There are issues here for sure. I can only vouch for my own approach:

    Most of my university students are music education majors, and where I live this does seem to be sustainable. My graduates for the most part are able to land and keep jobs doing what they are trained for: directing middle school and high school bands.

    Many of my students at some point inquire about the degree in performance. If they are interested in that route and have the skill to pursue it, we have a long talk about the career path of a performance major. Essentially, a bachelors degree in performance qualifies you for one thing, entry into an masters program. The masters qualifies you for a doctoral program, and that qualifies you to teach in higher education and perpetuate the cycle. We talk seriously about the prospects for employment in higher ed (slim).

    On the other hand, a college or university education isn’t a trade school certificate—it is meant to produce a well-rounded citizen of the world, with literacy in key fields of human thought and skills in areas like communication and critical thinking. If a prospective student wishes to study the art of musical performance for reasons that are not necessarily 100% practical, then I would like to see that opportunity available to them. Schools and students should be clear with each other about their goals, so there isn’t any confusion about, for example, guarantees of employment.

    Some of my students have leveraged some of the more general skills developed in their musical education to pursue careers in other fields, which I find to be a perfectly good outcome. There is also at least some anecdotal evidence that college music majors are welcomed by challenging, high-status programs like law and medical schools.

    When will woodwind makers deplete resources of grenadilla/mpingo wood?

    I don’t know the answer. My understanding is that these woods are not in danger of extinction, exactly. But the culling of the tallest, straightest specimens for products like oboes and clarinets has potential to cause an evolutionary bottleneck, since only trees that are unsuitable for instruments (because they are curvy, for example) are left alone to reproduce.

    I think that the inevitable conclusion to this is alternative materials for instruments. This will be a tough sell for some musicians, but will ultimately be for the better. If modern science can develop amazing new materials for everything from mobile phone technology to medicine to space travel, why not for music? I’m confident that the “wood”-wind instruments will continue to exist in materials that are more sustainable, stable, affordable, crack-free, ergonomic, and beautiful-sounding.

    Why does the principal oboist tune the orchestra?

    Tradition. We have methods of providing a reference pitch that are far more accurate and reliable than even the best oboist. But the ritual is a comfortable one.

    There are lots of additional theories. I’ve written previously about why a bunch of these don’t make sense, and that post continues to draw comments largely based on questionable understanding of “overtones.”

    Thanks for your questions! These are some tough ones.

    More 10-year anniversary Q&A

7 Comments

  1. As a graduate of William PAterson College’s Jazz program (1997), I guess I’m nowhere near *technically* being a student.

    Of course, all of life is a classroom and all of that good stuff…

    I really like when you said “The ones who will have successful careers as musicians and music educators are gaining musical skills plus an organized, disciplined, and well-rounded approach to life.”

    So many musician’s are complete flakes, and as a result allow amazing opportunities to pass them by.

    Funny how many of the most talented people I went to school with are experiencing little success, since they were not too big on the getting organized/hustling/business side of music. I’ve seen some of the less gifted folks thrive because they had the ability to follow through and stay on top of their careers.

    Reply

  4. Great post! I like number 4 “seek out musical experiences”. I find this very useful when I feel like I’m stuck in a rut. Attending concerts, and recitals can provide the much needed inspiration, and fresh air to continue on.

    Reply

  5. I often wonder about talented musicians who never seem to amount to very much, go no where, and are easy to book. I like to be the weakest player in my group. Keeps me on track! :O)

    Reply

  6. Thanks!
    This is very motivating and have it posted on my wall at the moment for some inspiration :)

    Reply
  7. Pingback: Seven habits of highly effective music students – Bret Pimentel, woodwinds | My Blog Happy Healthy Wealthy Amen

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