How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

How to be a good music student:

1.  Get quality equipment.  It doesn't have to be top of the line, or professional grade, but get something that wasn't scrounged up from EBay because it was cheap.  If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Go to a reputable music store or a music-minded friend and get something that you don't need to replace again in six months.  Some well-invested money up front will save time, headache, and repair bills down the line.  Also, quality equipment is just made better, which comes back around to the "you won't need to replace it again in 6 months" rationale.  If you get an instrument from a friend or the attic, take it to a good repair shop to see whether it is still playable and what kind of work you'd need to put into it to make it sound okay for you.

2.  Find a good teacher.  A well-trained, understanding, patient teacher can help in so many ways.  Not only will they help you with the nuts and bolts of the instrument you are trying to learn, they can help to guide you to others who share your interests or goals.  A good teacher will also inspire you to learn things you never thought you'd be interested in, and inspire you to do your best, whatever your goal may be.

3.  Practice.  Remember the old joke: "Excuse me, sir, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" "Practice!"  There is no substitute for putting the time in on your instrument.  There is the unavoidable awkward first few months that you will sound weird, bad, or unmusical.  Stick with it, though, because, eventually the awkwardness goes away.  Eventually your guitar chords will sound cleaner, shifting will become more automatic, your saxophone reed will start to cooperate, and the notes will begin to look less like dots on a page and more like a language you can now understand.  As I tell my students: There is no shortcut in music. 

4.  Listen.  Borrow CDs from the local library or friends, watch YouTube videos, listen to the radio, attend live concerts.  The best musicians knew how to listen and they listened to everything.  If you play the flute, listen to flute players, but also listen to singers, violinists, and other players.  You can learn phrasing, musicality, and how to use the technique that you are learning.  Listen across genres too.  You can learn stuff from a Baroque dance-form, even if all you do is sit in your garage playing a guitar.  If anything, it will teach you to become a better listener, which is helpful when you start to play with others.  It is irritating to play with someone who can't seem to play outside of their personal bubble.  To be in a band or ensemble means that you need to integrate your sound with other sounds.

5.  Stay curious.  Try to learn the history of your instrument.  Where did the banjo come from?  Who first invented it, who improved it, who makes it the best?  How do other players from around the world play your instrument?  How is the American style of clarinet playing different from the Australian style?  These sort of things will open your ears and mind to what is possible on your instrument.  It may also give you ideas to try something new and innovative that no one else has though of yet.   Whatever instrument you decide to play, commit to it and cultivate a passion. 

Now, go practice.