Why Learning From More Than One Music Teacher Is a Good Thing
“Musicians don’t grow in a bubble. They learn from teachers, conductors, band directors, fellow musicians, and performers along the way.”
When you find a music teacher your child loves, it’s a wonderful thing.
They build a relationship. The teacher gets to know your child’s personality, their learning style, what motivates them, what makes them laugh—and probably which song they are absolutely tired of practicing!
So, understandably, when a regular teacher is away and a parent hears that their child will have a different instructor that week, the first reaction can sometimes be:
“Maybe we should just skip this week.”
But I want to encourage you to look at it a little differently.
At Leading Note Studios, we call these teachers Guest Instructors, and there’s a reason I love having our students work with them.
A Fresh Set of Ears Can Be a Wonderful Thing
Every music teacher brings something different to a lesson.
One teacher might explain rhythm in a way that suddenly clicks. Another may notice something about hand position, breathing, tone, or technique that hasn’t come up before. Someone else might suggest a different way to practice a difficult section—or simply bring a new energy to a song.
The goal isn’t for a Guest Instructor to replace the relationship your child has with their regular teacher.
It’s to add to it.
Think about sports. An athlete may have a favorite coach, but throughout their life they will learn from many coaches. Each one sees something a little differently and adds another piece to that athlete’s development.
Music is very much the same.
It Also Teaches Flexibility
There’s another benefit that goes beyond learning notes and rhythms.
Students learn that they can walk into a room with a different teacher and still be successful.
They learn to communicate with someone new. They learn to listen to a different explanation. They learn that there may be more than one way to solve a musical problem.
Those are great life skills.
And sometimes something really fun happens: a student who was nervous about having a Guest Instructor comes out of the lesson saying,
“That was really fun!”
That’s exactly what we want.
Your Regular Teacher Is Still Your Teacher
Having a Guest Instructor doesn’t change the relationship your child has built with their regular teacher.
Instead, think of it as having a whole team of musicians supporting your child.
Our instructors have different backgrounds, experiences, personalities, specialties, and ways of communicating. Giving students the opportunity to occasionally learn from another member of that team can broaden their musical experience.
Over the course of a musician’s life, they will learn from many people. Teachers, conductors, directors, coaches, fellow musicians and performers will all influence the musician they eventually become.
Why not teach children early on that this is something to embrace?
Keep the Music Going
When a teacher needs to be away, our first priority is to keep your child’s musical momentum going. Rather than missing a week of music, a Guest Instructor gives your child another opportunity to learn, play, ask questions and make progress.
And who knows?
That Guest Instructor might say one little thing that makes something finally click.
After all, our goal at Leading Note Studios has never been simply to teach notes on a page.
It’s Teaching the Joy of Music.
And sometimes that joy grows when we discover that there is more than one wonderful person we can learn from.
Keep playing!
