When it comes to music lessons, "progress" is a funny word.
Some parents pull their young kids out of lessons that first year because the amount of progress doesn't seem worth the investment.
But then, what is progress for a six-year-old?
Others will pull their kids out of lessons years later because they think more progress should have been made by now.
Some students who are doing phenomenally well still end up being pulled from lessons.
Because, you guessed it...
Mom and dad have their preconceived notions of progress and think it's not worth it.
Meanwhile, there are students who are in lessons for several years running and hardly make any progress.
When it comes to progress in music, there are a few things we must keep in mind.
We all have preconceived notions of progress, with influences of reality, our friends, and Hollywood.
Progress takes many forms, be it musical, emotional, or cognitive.
The most important question isn't, "Is he progressing?" It's, "What can he do better this month than last week (specifically)?"
And if the answer is "not much," then the next question should be, "What can we do differently?"
Approach the world like this, in music or anything else, and progress is inevitable.