Editor’s Note: Good morning. Bobby Herron is on site today talking shop about why music lessons work for some kids and not for others. Finding creative ways to help your kids learn all kinds of things is a bit of an art in and of itself. One that is different for everyone. Here he is:

Music instruction never worked out for me. I took a few guitar lessons. The neck of my Framus acoustic guitar was too large for my 12 year old hands. My teacher tried to teach me to play ‘Wooden Heart’ note for note. My fingers failed me and my interest waned.

My father dropped me off for my fourth lesson and I ended up standing there in the driveway with my oversized Framus and my small fingers, waiting for him to leave. Then I wandered around the neighborhood for an hour, killing time rather than playing fragments of a song that didn’t resonate with me. I suppose I was a potential musician who needed to learn at his own pace and on his own terms.

After guitar came drum lessons . I felt my hippy drum teacher from Willow Point was cool enough, but he couldn’t teach an A.D.D. kid from Campbell River to play a drum kit. I lasted two lessons. Somehow I still became a drummer and would later sit in while my old man took short breaks at weddings and other gigs. For some people, there isn’t so much a learning process as there is the strange acquiring of a particular skill through osmosis.

I remember my father and stepmother having a couple of Lucky Lagers one night and discussing my music education. Their keen intuitions told them I had an aptitude for many things musical. They tried to get in touch with Buddy Rich by phone, (the worlds greatest drummer), to ask him if he could give me lessons. I suppose their logic was – it didn’t work out with the Willow Point hippy, so maybe a living legend would have more success.

Of course there is no getting in touch with the world’s greatest drummer. I could have told them that. It was this environment that attributed to my life long, sometimes turbulent relationship with music.

Our band, The B-sides, were playing at the Town Pump night club in Gastown, Vancouver on a Saturday night. The place was jam packed, as it was whenever we played there. We made people dance and that made everyone feel good. On a break we were greeted by the slightly sketchy son of a successful promoter. He spoke quickly and introduced us to a nineteen year old, beautiful Chilean violinist. She was en-route to an important gig in Boston and had just done a show at the Orpheum. The quick jawed fellow was her chaperon.

He explained to us that the young Chilean girl’s parents used to lock her in a room for hours because they felt it was necessary for her to learn Rimsky Korsakoff’s ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’, a fast paced and difficult piece on any instrument.

This archaic and cruel learning method seemed to work well for these people since here she was on her way to Boston to play her violin. She had never been in a night club before, but timidly got up on stage at our invitation and played to an amazed and delighted crowd. Later we all jammed together and it occurred to me, while the Chilean girl soloed, that everyone has a unique way of learning to play music.

I thought these tips might come in handy for anyone considering music lessons for their child, or for themselves…

- Don’t be discouraged or disheartened if you don’t become a virtuoso in a few lessons. A person can take a lifetime to learn an instrument,

- Don’t make a major investment in an instrument right away. Become familiar with a rented or second-hand one until you have reviewed your progress and are satisfied you have the talent and aptitude to commit to purchasing your own equipment,

- Review your progress regularly. Congratulate yourself,

- Parents – accompany your kids to the initial lesson and a few subsequent sessions. This can be enormously helpful. Who knows, you may find it fun being in the support role,

- Choose a teacher you like,

-If you want to invest money and time learning or having your child learn an instrument, come up with a plan and agreement around practicing. Remember – it’s not the amount of time you put into practicing, but what you do during that time that counts. Kids – all well known musical artists practice daily,

- If you’re not enjoying yourself, take a break and reevaluate your reasons for learning a particular instrument, and

- Watch and listen to musical artists play your chosen instrument.

Learning a musical instrument is a life changing experience with far reaching benefits that will become apparent during the journey. Don’t forget to practice and enjoy.

Photo courtesy of Bobby Herron