No Cheating

One of my favorite things about teaching music is that there is no cheating. It simply isn't possible. No one else can practice for you, or learn rhythms for you, or learn to read music for you, or learn how to produce a fabulous sound for you. There are a wealth of people, including myself, who are eager to guide you and offer suggestions, but we cannot actually implement anything on your behalf. So the only cheating that occurs is if you cheat yourself out of an opportunity to learn, grow, or express yourself by not doing the work you must do, alone, between lessons. Of course, this applies to all aspects of life; it is just so obvious in music. Your future success (in any discipline) depends on your ability to implement the suggestions of others, and compliment those suggestions with your own discoveries found through hard work. Always ask lots of questions; this will help your teacher guide you better. Then take the answers you are given and work with them. If the answers lead to more questions, you are on the right track! My teacher, Richard Killmer, is credited with saying something like, "No one has ALL of the truth, but everyone has some of it." There is truth waiting for you in the practice room that no one else can give you. I hope you find it and share it.