Regardless of the type of instrument or genre, music lessons ideally include a through education in music theory -- standard musical elements, such as rhythm, tempo, meter, melody, harmony, the 12-tone system, scales, modes, arpeggios, key signatures, the cycle of fifths, the cycle of fourths, theories and conventions of chord progressions, types of written notation and other information regarding the creation and composition of musical pieces. Percussion students, however, usually don't learn many elements related to tone, but instead focus more on timekeeping. Lessons should also include instruction in the reading of music, including the ability to "sight read," which means to read a piece of music as you play it.
Playing techniques rank as the meat and potatoes of musical education. For players of fretted stringed instruments such as the guitar and bass, this means learning every note on the fretboard; hand positions for the shapes of various scales and chord forms; fretting techniques such as hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, bends and trills; and picking techniques that involve the pick, the fingers or both. Students learn these techniques by way of exercises and songs taught step by step by the instructor.
Music instruction includes how to care for, maintain and repair instruments, while singers learn how to nurture and improve the health of their vocal chords. Instructors should demonstrate for guitarists not only how to restring their instruments, but also how to set the intonation through a combination of bridge and truss rod adjustments, and even how to repair a warped neck. Woodwind instruction covers cleaning instruments, identifying faulty pieces and replacing parts.
Stage presence and manner, including how to deal with stage fright, are among the performance skills emphasized in musical education. Students must learn a multitude of songs or pieces to add to their musical "resume." For example, guitar students will study enough songs that -- should they audition for a position in a cover band -- they'll have a significant catalog from which to choose.