🎸THE STUDENTS WHO SURPRISE US THE MOST
Hawaii MusicWorks
Spoiler: It’s never the ones who start out perfect.
If you think our most memorable students are the ones who come in playing full concertos or shredding like mini Hendrixes, think again.
🌱 It’s not about talent. It’s about growth.
We’ve seen students who:
And we couldn’t be prouder.
😬 The early days can be deceiving.
Every music teacher has had this experience:
A student walks in, clearly unsure. Maybe they’re fidgety, avoid eye contact, or seem totally uninterested. Sometimes they make zero progress for what feels like forever. And you think, “Are they even enjoying this?”
🧠Progress doesn’t always look like progress.
We’ve learned to look for the small wins:
🧑🎤 The best part? They don’t even know they’re surprising us.
We don’t always tell them right away. (Sometimes we’re too busy fist-pumping silently.) But when students surprise us, it’s not because they “suddenly got good.” It’s because they started believing in themselves — even just a little.
💛 So if you’re the parent of the “quiet one”… the “unmotivated one”… the “still can’t remember which chord is G” one…
Hang in there. Because those are the kids who sometimes blow us away the most.
The students who surprise us the most? They’re often the ones who struggle. The ones who almost quit. The ones who start out quiet, timid, distracted, overwhelmed — or totally convinced they “just don’t have it.”
And then one day… something clicks. 🔥
Not always dramatically. Not overnight. But enough that we stop and think, Whoa. Look at them now.
🌱 It’s not about talent. It’s about growth.
We’ve seen students who:
- Took months to get through their first song… and are now leading their band.
- Refused to sing a single note out loud… and now own the mic.
- Bombed their first few lessons… and now show up early, eager to help tune guitars for others.
And we couldn’t be prouder.
😬 The early days can be deceiving.
Every music teacher has had this experience:
A student walks in, clearly unsure. Maybe they’re fidgety, avoid eye contact, or seem totally uninterested. Sometimes they make zero progress for what feels like forever. And you think, “Are they even enjoying this?”
But then they show up early. Or they crack a joke in class. Or they nail a rhythm you know they used to struggle with.
And suddenly, it’s like they’ve found their groove — literally.
🧠Progress doesn’t always look like progress.
We’ve learned to look for the small wins:
- They’re making fewer excuses.
- They’re practicing without being told.
- They’re starting to take pride in their playing.
- They’re raising their hand. Offering to go first. Laughing when they mess up instead of shutting down.
🧑🎤 The best part? They don’t even know they’re surprising us.
We don’t always tell them right away. (Sometimes we’re too busy fist-pumping silently.) But when students surprise us, it’s not because they “suddenly got good.” It’s because they started believing in themselves — even just a little.
And that shift? That’s the moment we live for.
💛 So if you’re the parent of the “quiet one”… the “unmotivated one”… the “still can’t remember which chord is G” one…
Hang in there. Because those are the kids who sometimes blow us away the most.
They’re deep thinkers. Late bloomers. Quirky creatives. Future performers with stories to tell.
They may not be the loudest in the room — but when they finally plug in and turn up?
It’s unforgettable.