Nerissa Campbell has such passion and verve for music that when her first music mentor relocated to Perth from rural NorthWest Australia, her whole family relocated too, so she could continue with her musical studies.
Music: as in a gift certificate for music lessons. That’s the answer to the question posed in the title. Music calms, motivates, and engages. Students who play music score better on standardized tests, do better in math, and have a better chance at earning more money as adults. Troubled students taking music lessons of some sort also have been shown to improve attendance and increase their cooperation with teachers and other students. That’s not to say those things will guarantee a happy life, but they usually help get you there.
Perhaps best known as the guitar player for pioneering rock band The Jesus Lizard – whose albums Goat and Liar made Rolling Stone and Pitchfork's "Top 100 Albums of the ‘90s" lists – and possessing a musical resume comprising bands and collaborations with an enormous list of musical innovators, it’s no wonder Spin recently named Duane Denison to its list of 100 greatest guitarists. With tasteful and ferocious chops inspiring a legion of imitators, Denison continues to set definitive standards for aggressive, dynamic guitarists everywhere.
Online music lessons can help you save energy by not having to transport yourself, your kids, or your instrument, you save possibly over $20 in transportation costs, and you save 30 minutes to an hour commuting if you’re the one taking the lesson and maybe as much as two hours if your kid is the student. Not too shabby. Extrapolate that over the course or a year and maybe as many as 50 to 100 lessons and we’re talking about a serious change in quality of life.
Learning is not code; you cannot be programmed to perfection. Sometimes that can be frustrating for musicians trying to improve, but it’s a good thing. Music doesn’t belong on a standardized test, after all. That being said, there are various approaches to teaching. There are military-like instructors, friendly older-sibling types who guide you along, and styles that fall all along the spectrum of possibility. The eclectic mix of teachers on Lessonface is very indicative of this diversity of thought.
