One more great tip I got from the Randall Faber workshop.  And then I’m done.  Promise.

He suggested that incorrect hand position can often be remedied by making sure the student is sitting the proper distance from the piano.

Duh.  I feel dumb.  Three or four of my students have instantly fixed hand position problems this week, as I’ve checked their distance from the piano.

Just goes to show how important the basics can be!

I’ve been thinking a lot about my practice incentive after reading Natalie’s post on 4 Components of a Good Practice Incentive.  If you’re thinking of starting a practice incentive program, you really should read Natalie’s post before you begin.

I have a suspicion that nearly every child goes through a time where he/she wants to quit piano lessons.  I think it’s almost inevitable that kids will want to swap practicing the piano for video games, basketball, dance, whatever really!

In order to prolong, prevent, or pull a student back to piano when this happens, I think several motivating factors should be in place in a studio.  Remember that personalities are varied, so it’s important to consider different personality “types” as you learn to help motivate your students.

1. Students should be taught to love music.  Of course, this is obvious.  But it’s important to understand what your student loves.  If a student isn’t enjoying lessons, a switch in music type can often do the trick. 

I had a student who was not practicing and had a really bad attitude during lessons.  One day he told me, “My mom said I can quit as soon as I can play all the hymns in the hymn book.”  I knew I had to act quick, because this kid has amazing talent.  He could have taught himself all those hymns and left piano in the dust.  But I just know he is destined for bigger and better things.  So I found some really challenging, really impressive sounding classical pieces.  He ate it up.  His attitude is better and he is one of my best practicers again.

(Harry Potter songs do wonders too!)

2. Students should feel a camaraderie.  Some students thrive when they are able to be social.  Piano, as you know, is a very individual activity.   Sometimes, students only need to know that they have friends in piano who are doing the same things in order to keep them going through the boring times.

I have heard of teachers doing group lessons once a month (something I’m thinking of), doing student only recitals (something I’m about to do this week!), and doing student parties.  All these activities bring students together in a fun setting where they can socialize in addition to develop piano talents.  Having these types of positive social experiences can help students want to stick with piano when they hit the almost inevitable slump.

3. Practice Incentives work wonders. They really do.  Kids love to work towards a goal, even if that goal is just a sticker on a chart.  Sometimes that sticker or prize can be the motivating factor in getting through a tough time.

I’m sure there are many more ways to keep students motivated.  But the point is that more than one type of motivation in a studio is valuable to helping students develop their talents.

What do you think?  What do you do to help motivate your students?

I am discovering that in addition to teaching from a really great method book, one of the most important things to teaching piano is a FAITH in the method books from which you teach.

All method books have something good to offer.  No method book is perfect.  Because of this, I think a good teacher must always include other resources and other ways of teaching concepts than depending solely on a method book.

But in order to be an effective teacher using method books, you must agree with what you are teaching.  You must understand the way concepts are presented.  You must enjoy what you teach.

I teach mostly from Piano Adventures by Nancy and Randall Faber.  I am sure this series is not perfect for everyone, but I have not yet found a student who doesn’t benefit from Piano Adventures.  I honestly can say nothing bad about this series.  The series seems to teach concepts in a very appropriate time frame and order.  It teaches in a way that is so easy for children to understand (and teachers to teach!).  The series returns to important concepts in such a way as they are not forgotten, but also not done to death.  It also prepares my students for outside repertoire rather quickly.

That being said, I am sure the series is not perfect.  No series could be.  But I believe in it.  That belief helps me stay motivated to be a good teacher.  I love the pieces in the series.  I love the simple way of teaching concepts.  I believe the series is good for my students.

In contrast, I once taught group lessons for another teacher using a series she preferred.  I will not mention the name of the series because I don’t want to bash anybody, but I truly hated that series.  I thought it taught concepts in the worst possible way.  I felt it skipped incredibly important concepts and introduced difficult-to-understand concepts way too soon.  In addition, the pieces were horribly boring and the pictures were weird.

I soon came to dread teaching those lessons.  I am certain that those students did not receive the best education they could have received from me.  It was because I didn’t believe in the method!  I’m sure that I could have found some positive things about the series if I had taken the time.  But I didn’t even want to take the time.  Merely opening the book sent me into a coma.

Believing in my chosen method books helps me to be a happy teacher.  A happy teacher is an observant teacher.  An observant teacher notices when a child misses something important, and then knows how to help that child understand.  When I taught from the other series, I knew my students were missing things, but I was so frustrated, I didn’t even know where to begin to help fill in the pieces.

Do you teach from one series or do you vary from student to student?  What is your preferred series?

Do you ever have those moments where a big hand reaches out and slaps you across the face while you say, “DUH!”

When I have an announcement that needs to go out to all the parents, I type it up, and hand it out on each lesson day.  Nearly every single time, I miss at least one parent because I forget to send the note out.  Then, the next week is all about interrogating each child to remember if I sent a note home or not.

Here is where the big hand comes in.  With the last note I sent out, I wrote the name of each student on top of each paper.  DUH! 

As expected, I did forget to send the note out with 3 students.  But now I know exactly which students I need to give the note to this week.

What a relief.

Comment on the giveaway here.

Images here

Some students seem to just get crescendos and diminuendos.  Others don’t.  Here is what I have used to help those that don’t.

Pick a one syllable word.  I normally pick the child’s name.  If her name is more than one syllable, I shorten it. 

For a crescendo, start with your hand down at your waist.  Begin saying the child’s name while slowly raising your hand up above your head.  As you raise your hand higher, say the child’s name louder.  You know, crescendo!

Do the opposite for a diminuendo.

Have the child join in with you.  After the child can do a correct crescendo with his voice, have him try a short phrase on the piano.

How do you help students with crescendos and diminuendos?

Sometimes it’s good to look at things from a different angle- like your students!

The week before a recital, I have my students ”practice recital” during lessons.  I sit on the couch as an audience member, make noise as distractions, clap when they finish, etc.  They take a bow at the end and go back to their seat (my chair set far away from the piano.)

I noticed yesterday while I was doing this that one of my students bounces when she plays!  I never noticed the bouncing from my position in my chair at the right side of the piano.  But sitting behind her helped me to see.  It was an eye opener for me because I realized that she counts with her body while she plays.  As a result, her songs always sound a bit choppy and unfinished. 

Now I know how to help her create a more smooth and flowing sound- just from watching her from a different angle!

It makes me think I should get up and move around more often!  What else will I discover?

Go here to enter the giveaway!  Ends tonight!

One of my “gifted and terrifed of failure“ students told me he is getting very very bored.  Knowing I could be setting myself up for an unpleasant response, I still decided to acknowledge his feelings and ask him why.  He responded that all his pieces in the lesson books are too easy.

To be honest, they are too easy for him.  He can sight read well beyond the level that he plays.  But I don’t think it is wise to skip levels because he needs to understand all concepts.  I fear that if we skip a level, he will miss something important that will hinder his ability to play a much more difficult piece.  And because he tends to balk at challenges, I am not willing to let him skip concepts and fundamentals. 

Since that is too difficult to explain to an 11 year old, I chose to liken piano to baseball, his favorite subject.  Maybe you can find a way to use a similar comparison with a similar student.

I told him to imagine that he started baseball this year for the first time, and could “knock the ball out of the park” 9 times out of 10.  At the mention of his favorite sport, I could practically see the baseball diamonds glittering in his eyes.  I then told him to imagine that even though he could hit like a pro, he couldn’t catch for anything.  He didn’t like that part of the analogy, and told me he could most definitely catch like a pro.  So we had to change the character in this imaginary story to “a friend.” 

I then explained that the friend would have to start from the beginning- from scratch- to learn all the fundamentals of baseball.  I asked him if he agreed, and he did.  He would never be a great ball player without the fundamentals.

It’s the same in piano.  We have to move through the lesson books so that we can get the fundamentals.  In the meantime, I will give him harder pieces that will challenge him.  But he must get through the basic stuff before we can leave the lesson books in the dust.

He completely understood what I was saying, and completely agreed.  (something that surprised me to no end- because he is NOT one to agree with me on ANYTHING!)

Don’t forget to leave a comment here.  If you do forget, the world will end.  Leave a comment at this post in order to be entered to win a free month’s subscription to PianoMorning.com!  Go do it now!  This post will still be here when you get back!

There’s one thing you should know about me.  I do not like to play sports.  I will attend a sporting event only if it’s free or very very very cheap.  You will never ever ever ever catch me watching a sporting event on TV.  (OK, that was technically 3 things.)

Curiously enough, however, I LOVE sports movies.  I don’t know if it’s the triumph over adversity, the teams pulling together, or the feel good music combined with cheering and chanting, but I can always go for a good sports movie.

Recently, I watched Gridiron Gang with my husband.  Have you seen it?

Just when and where is this going to relate to music teaching, you ask?  Soon, I promise.  Stay with me!

Gridiron Gang is a true story about a juvenile detention center warden who decided to use football as a tool to keep his teenage prisoners from returning to the streets upon release from jail.  He miraculously got the approval of his superiors, and even more miraculously, found a high school league that would allow his team of criminals to compete.  Ultimately, he was successful in helping keep kids off the street after jail.  Some did return, but the majority went to school and got jobs and scholarships.

There is a scene in the movie which reminds me of piano teaching.  The coach, played by The Rock, comes out to practice in full football gear.  He looks ridiculous, as the uniform he is wearing is the same size as what the boys wear.  The players and other coaches stare at him and start to laugh, wondering out loud just what the heck (that’s a much more mild way to put it) their coach is doing in a too-small uniform.

He heads straight for one certain player.  This particular player is afraid to get hit.  Consequently, he gets tackled way too easily and way too often, costing the team valuable points.  He has the potential to be a star, but he can’t get over his fear of being hit.

The coach sets himself up in a defensive stance and tells the player to come at him and knock him down.  (Have you seen how big The Rock is?)  The kid, of course, is scared.  The coach tells him he has potential to be great, but he must overcome this obstacle and move forward.   After several attempts, the kid finally knocks The Rock flat on his back.  He is proud, but more importantly, he has overcome his fear and is a better player because of it.

How does this relate to music teaching?  Sometimes we ask our students to do really ridiculous and incredibly challenging things.  But we KNOW what our students need.  We KNOW that this really ridiculous exercise is going to improve some type of technique to make our students stronger players.  Sometimes the parents watch us and wonder what the heck we are asking their kids to do.  But we KNOW how to reach those kids because we are their teachers.  We are musicians.  And we understand that proper fundamentals are the only way to get the desired result- and sometimes we have to get a little ridiculous to teach those fundamentals.

I once donned martian antenna for a “Space Day” to get my students excited about learning and remembering space notes.  I often send my students home with really awful sounding warmups that cause parents to question if their children are truly practicing right.

What have you done to make a point?  When have you started something that seemed so backwards to your student, but ended up being just what that student needed?

As my daughter gets older, it’s getting harder and harder to squeeze practice time into my days.  She does really well when I teach lessons, but she isn’t too excited when I sit down at the piano myself.  You see, the piano is HER toy!  She loves to sit and play.  If I am in HER seat, she is not too happy.  Most of the time, I just practice anyway, while she pounds the keys right next to me.  And while she adds a great deal of tinkling and pounding sounds to my lovely Brahms piece, I’m not sure the end result is what Brahms had in mind when he composed!

Here are my three (and only three) tips I have for practicing with a toddler.  Please share your tips if you have any!

1.  Set a specific time you will practice each and every day.  Making it routine will be good for you, but will also eventually help your child deal with your practice time.  Eventually, your child will come to understand that this is just what Mommy or Daddy does at this time of the day. 

2.  Start early!  Put your baby next to the piano and practice while your baby is a newborn.  Your child will grow up knowing that Mommy or Daddy plays the piano.  It’s just what’s done.

3.  Practice when your spouse is at home.  I practice while Daddy does bathtime.  I get 15 minutes of practice each night.  It isn’t ideal, but it’s better than nothing!

Sadly, those are my only tips!  Do you have better ones?  Please please share!

As my students become more advanced, I am noticing that each one seems to naturally fall into three categories when it comes to “feeling” the music.

1. The Technical Giants- These students play every crescendo, diminuendo, and ritardando.  They hold every fermata and they use the pedal correctly.  Each accent, staccato, and slur is delivered appropriately.  They are able to do this because they pay attention.  They are actually reading their music and looking for directions.  However, the music is not necessarily “in” them.  They play correctly, but there is a certain amount of feeling lacking because they are so technical.
2. The Feelers- These students play beautifully.  They often don’t notice dynamic markings.  Even so, they typically end up playing them correctly anyway, because they naturally know how a piece should sound.  However, because they don’t pay close attention to reading, they may get wrong notes and wrong rhythms.
3. The Note Champions- These students play every single note and rhythm correctly.  Often, they are so good at the notes, that they speed through every song.  However, they don’t seem to care about dynamics and articulation.  They even get frustrated when asked to notice and pay attention to such things.

Do you have students that fall into these categories?  Do you have other categories when it comes to students “feeling” the music?

I have been trying to help each student feel and understand the music better, and here are 6 suggestions that have been working in my studio.

1. Listen to recordings of instrumental music during lesson time.  Provide a wide variety of music for your student to hear.  If your student will go for it, discuss the music.  (Many of my students get antsy when we start to discuss anything).  Give incentives if your student listens to classical music at home.  Even if your student won’t discuss the music with you, at least she is getting an exposure to the “feeling” of music.
2. Talk about the background of a piece.  I had a “Note Champion” learning “Moonlight Sonata,” by Beethoven.  Every note was, of course, correct, but she pounded the keys, never slowed down, and didn’t change her dynamics at all.  I told her why Beethoven wrote the piece:  He had been in love with a girl and wanted to marry her.  Her father wouldn’t allow the marriage, and she had to marry somebody else instead.  Beethoven was so overcome with grief, and to cope, he composed.  “Moonlight Sonata” is the result of his depression and grief.  My “Note Champion” thought that was a cool story, and that allowed me to talk to her about the “feeling” of the piece.  I asked her how she thought it should sound, and then we went through the piece together, finding areas for crescendos, diminuendos, and ritardandos.  She played with much more feeling after that.
3. Encourage your students to compose.  Some of my students who refuse to pay attention to dynamic markings will play a piece they wrote with a surprising amount of feeling.  You can print free blank sheet music at www.blanksheetmusic.net
4. If there are lyrics in a piece, have the student read them out loud before playing the piece.  Ask your student to describe the feeling.  Then, ask him to read the lyrics with that feeling.  If the lyrics are about a galloping horse, ask him to read the lyrics fast and choppy.  If they are about a flowing river, ask him to try and connect his words to make them sound smooth.
5. Pay attention to what kind of music excites your student.  Then, search for that kind of music so you can adapt it into lessons.  The more they play what they like, the happier they will be with the piano.  And the more willing they will be to try and improve.
6. Expand your own abilities so you understand what it takes to do something unnatural.  For example, I am a terrible jazz pianist.  I am able to “feel” a classical or romantic piece, but when it comes to jazz, my playing just falls apart.  So I am playing some easy jazz, trying to get the “feel” of that type of music.  It gives me much more empathy for my struggling students!

Do you have more tips for helping your students develop “feeling” while they play?