Music lessons ideas/help please!
#230237 - 12/08/05 04:36 PM
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Ok, you guys are always telling me to help myself by getting a hobby. Well, I've always had one: Music. Then I got sick (IBS didn't do it. Fibro did, then all the other diagnoses that followed). And then at my psychiatrist's office, in their bathrooms, they play lovely guitar music (instrumental/classical...Elliot Fisk and David Russel kind of stuff). And it got me hankering for more. And now I got to the library almost daily   to get more music...
I am going back to music (I decided I need to make it official today through the help of a friend....you know who you are!!  )
So...my question is:
Should I try for private lessons or for college-classroom lessons?
Some backround:
I took piano beginning at age 7. It was the b-day present I BEGGED my parents for for months! LOL My teacher thought I should become a concert pianist...I was her "dream" of a student talent-wise...only prob was the sheet reading. I couldn't do it! She thought I was being "lazy: and quit teaching me. (Can you imagine??) Piano has been in and out of my life since (until I got sick. The last time I truly did anything musical was when I taught kindergarten and that was 3 school-years ago!)
Age 13 I began music singing lessons. I wanted to be on Broadway! The last time I took a singing lesson was in college...senior year (same with a piano class actually) and my voice is rusty 
I would need lessons before I would even perform at an old age home my skills are so poor!
So...what do you guys think? Are private lessons best or would you recommend a classroom setting with a bunch of other students? (In colleg they were private lessons...the closest I've ever had to "big room classes" were my Music Appreciation Courses!)
Thanks for your help...
Now I have to find it in our budget and convince hubby it's a good idea (but that's another post!) LOL
P.S. Another thought: I will have to look into concerts!!! Hubby and I are going on a DATE people!!!  
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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Ruchie,
I love you, but you sound kind of "manic." This is most certainly grandiose thinking, displayed in writing.
Check out some classes/instructors and go for it. Remember, you might need to rent/purchase an instrument and also be committed to regular practice.
Have a steamy date with hubby, though.
Kate.
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I'm so excited for you! I would definitely go the private lessons route - it's much more personal - you get an individualized thing. College classes are very generalized. Plus, you'll likely be hard pressed to find one that teaches you to PLAY - most are a music appreciation listening type of course.
I would suggest singing - you don't have to pay for an instrument!!! Do you have a piano at home?
Plus, with singing, it's much easier to do if you have trouble reading music - you can learn it by ear.
This could be a huge help for your OCD and bipolar. Seriously, music kept me out of the hospital when I was a teenager. It kept me going. It could work wonders for your depression!
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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I think both are fine ideas.. Considering you have a tight budget, I'd try whatever is cheaper first to make sure you're still loving it at this point in your life.
As for the date... details details.. where are you headed?
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I swear we are on the same thinking mode here. First with the move, and now with getting a hobby! I was actually thinking about music lessons too, but I don't have a piano. I would love to take piano or violin lessons.
I think the private lessons would be best, if you can afford it. Most community colleges offer either private or classroom lessons. I was just reading my community college Spring schedule looking for a fun class to take (therapy assignment)!
Maybe you could get a keyboard, if you don't have a piano. Those are way cheaper and would still allow you to practice and play.
Or singing is great too. If I could sing, I would do that! The world needs your musical beauty to lift it's souls!
Good for you. You get an A+ for your initiative. Now, I gotta get some nerve to break out of my isolation and do something besides watch tv and play on the internet and read!
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Ruchie, music classes are a wicked idea. NOW, don't lose that thought! Singing is so much fun! I took singing classes and opera classes for years. Piano is cool too (I really sucked, but took lessons for the longest time.)
I guess, just do it for the joy of it. BUT FIND AN INSTRUCTOR before you lose the inspiration and commit some time/energy to it.
NOW, if only I can get the guts up to fiddle around with some knitting or crochet needles for the "zen" of it. I suspect that it would be a great no-smoking transition habit.
Kate.
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I'll recommend a private lesson over college classes, as you'll get more personalized attention.
That being said.... I started playing violin in fourth grade, then taught myself to play cello and piano (I could read the cello music staff, and learned piano by reading the books the two girls I babysat had...)...
Few years ago, I made the switch from four strings to six with the Guitar. Taught myself how to play, found some great sites online that had the chord diagrams and the like. But I started off with finger picking and reading tablature (talk about hard....). Dust in the Wind was my first song. talk about starting off hard... geez. I pick 'em good.
It's a lot of fun though... got my guitar for maybe $150 (and it was an accoustic Fender).
--------------------
Jonna, IBS-D
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WOO HOO! I agree that you need a creative outlet!
I think private lessons are the way to go. Nothing beats one-on-one!
YAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Hey Ruchie!
Being a former piano teacher, I'm glad to see you take the leap into taking lessons again! As for the private/group lessons issue, I would say that it depends on your level. If you think you're at a beginner level and can benefit from the general knowledge gained in a classroom setting, then I say go for it. If, however, you have an amount of experience that would make it likely that you wouldn't get much out of it, then go for the private lessons.
Others have mentioned it already, but I should reinforce that you'll need to dedicate time for practice. My girlfriend (who's also a piano teacher) constantly gets adult students who join up for a month or two, only to realise that they don't have the time to put in. I'm sure you know this already given your background, but it is a pretty fundamental element to your success.
Have you decided what you're going to see yet? If you have a college/university in your area, you might be able to get in on some inexpensive concerts. I just saw Mahler's 4th Symphony and the Pines of Rome (the whale scene in Fantasia 2000 for those who have seen it) done by students from the University of Edinburgh for only £4 - and it was quite good given the experience of the players.
Good luck with everything!!
- Vincent
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