The importance of setting goals for yourself as a beginner violin student in Los Angeles

Starting out as a beginner violin student in Los Angeles might seem like a daunting task. There is so much new information it’s hard to know what to focus on! Rest assured, I’m here to help you break down the barriers and understand how crucial it is to set goals right from the start.

First off, as soon as you feel overwhelmed you should ask your teacher to break things down. As an inexperienced student, you have no idea what the priorities are and how to build an effective practice routine. There are many things that you should discuss with your instructor when you are beginning violin lessons in LA:

• musical interests (could be as broad or specific as you want, your instructor will help you fine tune them)
• general musical goals
• end goal

Discussing your goals at the very first lesson will create a game plan that, if specific enough, could create a structured timeline for the next six months or a year. It would be helpful to have these kinds of meetings with your instructor every few months in order to reassess goals. There is nothing wrong with modifying your goals along the way, as long as you had specific ones to begin with.

Goals are a very broad term and should be split into general musical goals and an end goal, if you have one. I recommend thinking of these before you get to your lesson, as you will save a lot of precious study time. General musical goals are styles of music or songs/pieces you would like to learn. An end goal is a specific level or one piece in particular you really want to learn and would be happy ending lessons if you get to that point. These are all adjustable, because you will soon find out there will probably be many other pieces you want to learn and higher levels you want to achieve. You will become addicted to your own progress and will enjoy showing friends and family what you are able to play on your new instrument!

These are just general guidelines to set you off on the right foot and to expedite your progress right from the get-go. This is also a very useful skill to have in life; start observing the difference between someone who starts a project with a clear end goal and timeline to achieve it versus someone who blindly launches into it. Thanks for reading and good luck!