Goal Setting Tips for Students From Top Teachers!

When it comes to goal setting, it can be easy to reach a plateau on your journey. Don't give up! Not only is struggling with reaching your goals totally normal, but we also have a team of top teachers from Lessonface to share their tips for students on how to set, practice, and achieve their goals. If you're looking for specific strategies, check out this post, also full of helpful information from teachers. 

Jesse Williams Has 5 Excellent tips on Goal Setting

Jesse Williams, who teaches Bass Guitar, Audition Prep from Berklee Alumni, Upright Bass, Jazz Improvisation, and Music Theory teacher on Lessonface, has a number of excellent tips for setting and achieving goals as a music student. 

"Setting goals is a tricky business. We all have set goals like “I want to get better”, “ I want better gigs”, “I want to play faster”..but, without specific ideas, it’s very difficult to figure out how to work towards those ideals. Teasing out exactly what specific skills you need to improve, and also what will MOTIVATE you are keys to getting better. The more specific your goal the easier it is to achieve."

Williams provides some examples of goals that are the perfect balance of challenging but realistic, “I want to improve my ability to lock in with a drummer’s bass drum” is a good one. Or, I need to learn note-for-note how to play Ramble On by Led Zeppelin! Or, learn every note on the fingerboard..these are pretty specific."

He also provides a list of top takeaways for goal setting that he's discovered through years of teaching. 

"Here are some select things I’ve found super helpful in my own growth as a player and in my 25+ years teaching:

1)  Take small, specific bites. Set tiny goals so they’re easy to accomplish. You’ll feel good and get the bug, setting gradually bigger goals.

2) Schedule a goal: a gig, jam session, lesson, audition, open mic, or any date when you’ll have to prepare the material. The slight "fear factor" helps us get in gear and gives a very specific goal: LEARN THE TUNES!

2) Find inspiration from great role models: a peer, a hero, a teacher, and emulate. We all start as beginners. We all start as beginners. Learn from successful people, not only musicians. I've learned a ton from books about business (not my favorite topic).

3) Have fun and be inspired. Inspiration gives motivation and clarity of purpose.

4) Try out the SMART method: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Bound.

5) Motivation and Goal setting are partners. Remember the power of positive! Keep a fun, positive attitude. We all have ruts. Keep working at something till you have a breakthrough; even a small one can help keep you going. Keep the long view: invest in yourself!!

Setting and achieving goals really doesn’t need to be intimidating. Start simple and specific and you’ll soon learn how to improve your musicianship. Of course, this will have super positive impacts on your life in general!"

Williams closes with an example of a student who successfully achieved his goal.

"A student of mine had been working diligently and improving modestly. We found a challenging song to learn that was just beyond his reach, but attainable (a key goal attribute). We set up a recital (a scheduled goal) and he worked for 2 months to learn the piece. After performing the piece well, his playing and confidence were so much higher than prior to this experience. He dealt with the fear of performing in a recital and grew tremendously in some critical areas. Finding a piece that was just beyond reach and also inspiring was key."

Kevin Fleming Encourages Daily Practice

Kevin Fleming, who teaches Banjo, Guitar, Bass, Fingerstyle Guitar, Mandolin, and Ukulele, keeps it simple with a few key tips on goal setting. 

"Practice every day, even if it's 5 to 10 minutes on a busy day

I hosted a performance class weekly in 2021 that allowed several people to meet their performance confidence levels going forward!"

Katie Hicks Shares Her Student's Unique Goal Setting Stories

Flute, Recorder, and Piccolo teacher Kate Hicks shares her personal experience in achieving her goals. 

"My one-year anniversary with Lessonface is coming up in January, and so far, my time with this wonderful company has been a great experience. One of my students is a long-haul truck driver who takes her lessons while parked in her cab---somewhere in the country. She LOVES learning to play the flute and enjoys our laughs along the way. Another young student just wants to talk about cats for the first ten minutes (I try to start early); I hear stories about his new kitten, his other cats, his neighbors' cats---just cats! After that, he is relaxed enough to enjoy his lesson. So what are the goals? I suppose the overall goal is for the students to learn music and grow along the way. We are more than just music teachers. We are also friends, good listeners, and life coaches who can help create positive memories that can last a lifetime."

Carolina Amoruso Has Tips For Language Learners 

When it comes to learning languages, Carolina Amoruso is an expert. She teaches Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, English, and ESL, and she has some tips for success. 

"Always continue practicing at home. In the same way you learn to play an instrument, learning a language needs time and patience. Talk to yourself in Spanish! You can record yourself to listen to your sounds. Also, you may want to look yourself in the mirror, to observe the movements your mouth makes. Watch movies in Spanish with English/Spanish subtitles, it helps a lot! Set a time in which you can practice Spanish every day; it doesn't need to be a lot of time, but practice regularly. If you have any doubts, ALWAYS contact your teacher!"

Carrie Lo Says Setting Reasonable Goals is Key

Carrie Lo, Lessonface teacher of Fingerstyle Guitar, Ukulele, Classical Guitar, Music Theory, and Cantonese, shares her advice on goal setting. 

"Don't set a goal too high because it will be too challenging! Once you realize your goal is out of reach, you will feel very disappointed and give up easily. 

My students are very hardworking and devoted to learning.  I encourage them to record their practice sessions every week so that I can keep track of their progress.

If you like music, don't hesitate to start music lessons! You can learn so much from music lessons and it's is a great way to release your emotions. Go, go, go, go!"

Rachel Bearinger Has One Key Tip For Goal Setting

Rachel Bearinger, Acoustic Guitar, Ukulele, Trumpet, Electric Guitar, Music Theory, Loog Certified Guitar, Small Group, Songwriting teacher, has one simple tip to stay on track with your goals. 

"Set goals of all sizes to keep yourself motivated."

Joaco Bustillo Shares a Success Story From His Student

Joaco Bustillo has a personal example from a student who succeeded in accomplishing their goals. He teaches Guitar, Voice, Piano, Commercial Music, Reharmonization, Music Licensing, Songwriting Harmony, and Music Theory on Lessonface.

"It helps for students to understand music as a language that will help them express, communicate and create their own music with their instrument.

I had a student last year who wanted to record his first single. He had never sung before and never had lessons but I helped him with singing and vocal lessons to prepare his best for that recording. He was happy with the results and the preparation from our lessons personalized his goals and helped him focus on progress.

Music helps us connect with ourselves and others. Studying music is the best way to improve that connection and make musical interactions way more fun!"