WHAT MAKES A GOOD STUDENT

Hawaii MusicWorks

(Hint: It’s Not Talent or Practice Minutes)

“I don’t want them to be a professional musician or anything…”

We hear this a lot—from kind, supportive parents who are just trying to explain where their expectations are. (Spoiler: we’re not building conservatory bots here. We’re building humans who love music.)

We also hear things like:

“They’ve got the ear.”

“He’s really talented.”

“We make them practice 30 minutes a day.”

Which are all fine things to say. But if you’ve been around our school long enough, you know that none of those things guarantee a student will thrive.

Some of the most naturally talented kids struggle when the music gets hard—because they’ve never had to wrestle with it. Some students practice religiously every day—and still don’t grow, because they’re just clocking time, not doing the work.

So if you’ve ever wondered what actually makes a great music student at Hawaii MusicWorks, here it is:

It’s Not About…
  • Talent.

Natural ability might give a student a head start, but it won’t carry them through a song they don’t know, or a piece that just won’t click. In fact, sometimes it makes the hard parts harder—because they’re not used to having to try.

  • Practice Minutes.
We know a lot of families try to help by setting a daily practice goal—30 minutes a day is a common one. And we totally get the intention behind it. Routine, consistency, accountability? All good things.
But here’s the truth:

Thirty minutes of the wrong thing doesn’t move the needle. If a student is zoning out while running through a song they already know just to “fill the time”… If they’re distracted, checking their phone between chords… If they’re practicing the wrong section of the song because they forgot what the assignment actually was…

That’s not quality practice. That’s musical busywork.

If practicing looks like doom-scrolling TikTok with an instrument in your lap,
 we’re gonna call it what it is: a light stretch, not a workout.
Real progress comes from focused, specific effort. It’s slowing things down. Targeting the hard parts. Being mentally in it, not just physically near your instrument. And yeah—it’s not always fun, but that’s the muscle we’re trying to build. The ability to stay engaged when it’s boring, tricky, or just not your favorite thing that day — That’s what separates someone who plays music from someone who grows with it.

Give us five intentional minutes over thirty distracted ones any day.

  • Performance Ambitions.

We’re not here to create future pop stars. (Unless that’s the dream—then great, we’ll help.) But our focus is growth, confidence, and a lifelong relationship with music. Not résumé building.

So What Does Matter?

  • Curiosity
Students who ask questions, mess around with what they’re learning, and chase their own ideas are the ones who light up. It’s not about getting everything “right”—it’s about being engaged, creative, and awake in the process.

  • Consistency
Not “never missing a day.” Not “perfect practice.” Just—keep going. Students who show up, even when it’s tough, even when they’re busy or stuck, end up surprising themselves. That’s the muscle we care about: the one that keeps coming back.

  • Flexibility
Music is a rollercoaster. One week you’re slaying your song, the next week you forget how to count to four. Students who learn to roll with it, take feedback, and pivot? They’re golden.

  • The Right Kind of Support
When parents focus on encouragement rather than enforcement, things go way better. Ask what they’re working on. Let them show you. Celebrate the trying, not just the perfect performance. Trust the process—it’s louder and messier than you think, but it works.

Final Thought
At Hawaii MusicWorks, we don’t sort students into “serious” or “not serious.” We don’t rank them by talent. We meet them where they are—and we help them grow.

Whether they’re here to rock the stage, write their own songs, or just have a creative outlet after school, we want them to feel seen, challenged, and proud.

So if you’re wondering what makes a student “good” at music—it’s not the magic, it’s the mindset.

And we’re here for all of it.