How to Take Lesson Notes

I don't address this often because it is my understanding everyone has their own 'system'. I keep track of my lesson notes for each individual student on my computer. But I thought I would write a few suggestions based on my own experience, recommendations from parents and from other teachers. 

Firstly, you do need to take notes. There's a lot happening in the course of a 30-minute lesson and even more in a 45-minute lesson. It's an intense learning environment and there is no way you or your child will remember everything that happened. I don't even remember everything that happened so I take notes and I highly recommend you also take notes.

Where you take notes and what you use to take notes is totally up to you. Some use an ‘old-fashioned’ notebook or a binder with loose-leaf paper. Either is great. Others, like myself, prefer a computer. I use Evernote but I also use it to keep track of everything - lesson notes, class notes from grad school, recipes, important documents, etc. It could even be as simple as a word document or a Google document you access regularly. Regardless of the medium, a method is needed and you need a dedicated place to keep your notes that you have easy access to. Slips of paper, old receipts, the grocery list, these are not a great way to take notes because they are not in a designated 'lesson note taking' spot and they often get lost or misplaced and the notes never get used or referenced during home practice. 

I am often asked, 'what do I write down?'. Write down what is important. You don't need to dictate the whole lesson but listen for cues from me (or your teacher) about what is important. Sometimes, I will say, 'this is important' or we will repeat something a gazillion times or spend a lot of time on one thing. Write that down. I’ve been getting better about stating the measure numbers for certain passages, so write those down, too, as it tells you and your child what exactly, to practice. How you write it down, again, is totally up to you. Some make a straight forward numbered list of what we've done in the lesson, others use a practice chart to document weekly tasks and some have a less rigid form of note-taking, jotting down a few sentences to jog the memory of the lesson. The key is to determine what works best for yourself as well as your child.  Your child might be more inclined and motivated by a chart, use that. Or a list might suffice. Whatever works, use it!

One word on the practice charts - I LOVE them. I like to check things off a list and I know many children are like this, too. I'm just horrible about keeping up with them. A practice chart might be a fantastic solution for you and I can supply you with charts that are suitable for your child but I do ask for you help in keeping up with them. 

Then, what do you do with the lesson notes when you get home? Structure the assignments into a practice that looks pretty similar to our lesson. Take a few moments to come up with a 'game plan' for the practice:

• What is the goal of today's practice?
• What do you and your child wish to accomplish?
• What's most important to start with? (an upcoming recital piece, jury piece, audition materials, etc.)

Share this with your child, too, so they know the expectations of the practice and so they are involved in the planning process. 

It doesn’t matter what you start with, though you may want to start with the most challenging thing or the one that is high priority. Don’t mess around - tackle the ‘meat’ of the practice first. But also take into consideration your child’s mood as well as your own. Are you short on patience, is your child tired? Maybe leave that hard thing for later and focus on review. It's important to take a moment before you both begin to check in with yourself as well as your child. This will set the tone for the practice and will give you reasonable expectations for what you and your child can do and hopefully avoid conflict.

What if your notes are confusing, make no sense or you and your child disagree about the assignment? Sometimes it’s just best left to figure out at the next lesson. It happens. My notes make no sense sometimes (often, actually). No one is going to die if you don’t practice that one thing. Plus, it’s really a pain to re-learn something that has been practiced and learned incorrectly. Re-learning a skill isn't like re-writing a file on a computer. I wish it was that easy! Re-learning something is often more difficult than learning it correctly the first time. If you and your child disagree, either wait until the next lesson or contact me. I can usually troubleshoot things over email or the phone. Or if you and your child disagree, practice is both ways. It doesn't hurt and at least something was accomplished during practice at home. But don't sweat it if you or your child are unsure or unclear about an assignment.

But again, the most important part of note-taking is actually taking notes. Plus, how fun is it to look back on your notes and see the progress you and your child have made over the course of 6 months, a year or even two years! This is also a real motivator - the ability to see how far students have come in any given period of time. Look back in your notes even just from 6 months ago and marvel at how far your child has come. It's a great feeling. :)

Two last reminders about practicing:

1. Getting the cello out is the hardest part. Really. Even I drag my feet when it comes time to practice because my cello is in its case. Many families opt for cello stands so the cello is readily accessible. If this is feasible for you or you have a dedicated spot to leave the cello out, try this. It tends to work wonders for motivating students to practice.

2. All children need to be reminded to practice. Most won't do it on their own volition so that's where your role as the parent and home teacher comes into play.