Recently I have been trying to adopt a positive attitude when I take lessons which is, “No matter what the situation, give it my best attempt“.

Many students, including myself in the past have made excuses for not getting something out of a lesson. While those can be in reality detrimental conditions to your lesson, there are still things one can do to learn and improve regardless of the situation.

One of the best pieces of advice I got this summer was from a local instructor in California, James Bianco who said something to the effect of, “If you try you can make a group lesson into a private lesson for yourself.” I try to keep this in mind. If I am taking a lesson in something I have previously learned, I try to emulate the instructor exactly. That exercise can be insanely difficult but a great learning experience.

So if you are taking a lesson anytime soon, keep an optimistic view and don’t let excuses get in the way of your learning.