Evolving Music Education

I recently received another GREAT question about teaching piano students ages 11-14. Let me share it with you (summarized):

Wow, well I think we’ve all run into this trap before! In this video, I attempt to answer it with some useful tips. Also, below is a summary of what I wrote on the board, along with some additional information. Hope it helps!

Note: Also below are links to the three repertoire books I mention in the video.

• Attention and Interest = Progress. This means, at this age group, I move my thinking to “keep their interest peaked and attention there” instead of younger students, who do tend to just advance linearly through method books.
• Try ANYTHING. Be willing to go very out of your comfort zone to try anything and everything. Singing, drumming, jazz, hip-hop, reggae, country… try it all!
• Review the basics – If you can keep their attention and interest, check in on the basics of note and rhythm reading.
• SURPRISE them – I LOVE this one.  Grab some 2 Part Bach Inventions, easy Mozart.  Tell them its their next song and they’re going to learn it.  Watch the reaction. Some kids that age love a challenge, and love feeling like you’re telling them they are good enough to try it.
• Deadlines – Work in some kind of deadline where they have to learn something, either for a recital or recording.  Many kids that age will rise to the occasion.
• Technology – Grab their attention with note reading games on an iPhone (more on that to come later) or notation software or electronic keyboards.
• Social Encouragement – I love this one too. Hold a duets session where they have to play music with another peer. Or have them accountable to playing music for another peer. Maybe they could write a song with another piano student.
• Creative – Jazz, theory, chords, improvisation – some students start to gravitate more towards this type of music.
• PREVENTION – With all younger piano students, be thinking about the day when they arrive at age 11, 12 etc.  And prepare them for that time, with a strong foundation in note reading and rhythm reading.

Books Mentioned

- Piano Bench of Classical Music
- Piano Bench of EASY Classical Piano
- The Joy of First Piano Classics

Finally, to the person who asked the question, I do not think you’re alone here at all.  And to answer you question specifically, I think its OK to a degree to put a song aside for a while if its not going anywhere: but always go back and review it at a later time.  And tell the student you will be doing so, so its expected.  If I’m “passing” kids on songs they really shouldn’t be passing on, I am doing something else to go back and cover that material: whether it be an additional method book, or performance book, or a review later.

And one last thing of note, with piano students this age, especially early teens.  I find they might not practice for WEEKS, literally.  But somehow if they get 30 minutes of practice in sometime, their progress from that one practice session is enormous.  (I think I got into college for piano from only 6 months of practice, seriously.)

So yes, certainly don’t beat yourself up about it – its common for that age, keep doing what you’re doing and try some of the ideas above!

Short answer?  Don’t worry about it!

I’ll be completely honest.  It bothers me a little bit when teachers focus so much on if their student “has practiced” or not.  When it comes to delivering a quality lesson, I don’t think it really matters!  And in fact, having that mindset of checking up on your student, being encouraged or discouraged if they’ve practiced or not, can actually HURT the lesson.

Instead my mindset is to ignore it.  Why?  Because worrying about if the student practiced does not put you in the emotional and creative position to teach a quality lesson.  As teachers, we can not build our emotions around weather or not a student “did what we told them to do”.  This harms the student, and puts us in a weak position.  WE should be the stronger ones emotionally in the relationship.

React pedagogically, not emotionally.

That’s the difference we’re talking about here folks!  Ask yourself WHY you want a back up plan for students not practicing.  If this is an emotional reaction, like you’ve been offended or let down, it’s not a good place to start from and go looking for these answers.  I’m suggesting that we be PRO-active as teachers – not RE-active to our students.

What To Do When Your Student Is, Ahem, A “Little Rusty”

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way.  Here’s some nice pedagogical reactions to try;

1. Repertoire List - Huge.  Lately I’ve been keeping a repertoire list going with some students.  It’s lots of fun for both of us to go back and brush up on them, check tempos, play them together, etc.

2. Record Them – Also great!  You can record a student playing a polished repertoire piece or even practicing.  It’s unbelievably helpful to record a student a few weeks in a row playing the same piece.  They love hearing their improvements and it helps build self awareness.

3. Improvise – This is not limited to jazz or older students.  You can show even a 7 year old to only play C-D-E-G while you play a simple blues.  It’s fun!

4. Switch Student/Teacher Rolls – This opens up LOTS of possibilities.  Let them teach you something.  Or let them watch you play four measures and correct mistakes.

5. YouTube Dive for Pianists – OK, not always the haven of quality pianists, but start with a search like Chopin Waltz or Keith Jarrett Solo or Ben Folds Solo Piano or ask them for a suggestion.  At most maybe you’ll find a new piece they want to learn, or at least maybe inspire them with music they’ve never heard before.

6. Drums – If you have the benefit of having some drums nearby, everyone LOVES drums.  Have them play the right hand rhythm on one drum and left hand rhythm on another.  Teach them a paradiddle.  Show them a rock beat.

7. The No-Brainers -  theory, ear-training, history, appreciation, games etc etc.  Try this note reading game.

How Will I Know To Use These Ideas, If I Don’t Figure Out If They’ve Practiced Or Not?

Just focus on what will be helpful and fun for your student, in that moment. That’s the goal!  If you ask them to play their assigned piece from last week, and it’s not going well, ask yourself “what can I do right now to enrich this student’s musical experience?”  “How can I turn this problem on its head and use it to our advantage?”  This is an opportunity, not a failure.  It is an opportunity to explore and learn something new that perhaps will inspire and surprise the both of us!

En conclusión

Be emotionally PRO-active, not RE-active!  Always remember, it’s about THEM and not YOU.

Lately I’ve been participating in some discussions over at the Piano World Forums.  In the Piano Teacher’s Forum, dozens (even hundreds) of participants debate topics as wide ranging as handling challenging students, to smart billing practices to getting kids to practice.  The crowd is mixed.  Expert teachers, part-time teachers, aspiring teachers and even students all make up the personal landscape of this forum.

One recent post Too much focus on technique really caught my attention when the topic quickly veered off course into a split debate on one’s basic approach to teaching.  When one teacher made the analogy to teaching being similar to that of building with bricks (spend time upfront showing the student how to lay the first brick really well and let them do the rest vs. lay all the bricks with them but really quickly thus doing a poor job)…. well, some seemed to get the analogy just fine but others taking it too literally or skewing it far from the context seemed unusually perplexed by it.

I’m on the side of “teach the student to lay one brick really well and let them finish the rest”. The following is an outline of my basic approach, something I have been wanting to put into writing for some time.  I’m finally doing just that as a result of the split in opinions evident in the aforementioned post as it supports the analogy that if you show the student how to lay one brick really well, they can do the rest on their own.

I take no credit for the term “Stewardship Delegation”. It came from “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People“, the book by Dr. Stephen Covey.  Dr. Covey uses the term “Stewardship Delegation” to illustrate a style of management, but it really sums up my approach to teaching piano pretty darn close.

Dr. Covey breaks it into five steps.

1. Desired Results - Spend the most time on this step! Be certain the expected end results are 100% clear.  This is akin to spending the most time showing how to lay the first brick.

2. Guidelines – Set a few restrictions on methods that are off limits to achieving these results.  Don’t say how or what TO do, but suggestions of what has failed in the past.  You’d probably point out a few ways to not lay the brick, to avoid injury or the wall falling apart.

3. Resources - Identify any resources that can help along the way.  Use human resources and technical/information resources.  In anticipation of the student having to lay the rest of the bricks, you’d probably point out places they could go for reference or help.  You’d be sure they know how to use all available tools.  For brick laying this might be mason’s tools, or for a musician this tool might be a metronome.

4. Accountability – Provide standards of evaluation and a set time of evaluation.  You’d probably expect the person building the wall to be able judge how they did without you telling them.  The STUDENT is expected to self evaluate their work.

5. Consequences – Describe all possible types of consequences; physical, intellectual, emotional and natural.  Someone building a brick wall would know that, for example, if they build it well it will stand the test of time.  If they build it poorly it will fall down.

Lets apply this to teaching piano.

The whole spirit of “Stewardship Delegation” is to place the accountability ON the person you are delegating to.  The goal is for them to take charge and “own” their learning process.  It lets the student choose the means to achieve the result.

In the following example, we’re simply teaching how to read music and play songs from their method book.

Step One: Desired Results

Be sure the student knows what the correct notes, rhythms, basic dynamics/articulation should sound like.  Check this, check twice and check again.  There are literally hundreds of way to ensure the student knows desired results.  Suggestions are;

- Do they really understand how to read music?  Can they explain to you why they played notes correctly?  Can they identify if you play a note incorrectly on purpose?  Can they switch roles and be your teacher?

- Do lots of rhythm games where they clap or tap rhythms from their songs.  Have them count or tap their foot to be sure they can feel the beat at the same time.  Make sure they are not just getting the rhythm by accident or imitation!

- Provide them with a recording of how the song should sound.  Let them HEAR what it should sound like.

- Provide a video or pictures of someone playing/sitting with good posture and good technique.  SHOW them what this looks like.

Step Two: Guidelines

Establish some basic “not to do’s”.

- They can not just have someone show them the notes in the song.

- They can not write the note names above every note in the song.

- They shouldn’t try to learn the song just by ear.

- They shouldn’t use just two fingers or ignore fingering.

- Point out other possible traps or obstacles but let the student choose the means to achieve the result.

Step Three: Resources

Identify as many places the student can go for help.  You’re showing them how to be resourceful instead of just asking for the answer.

Human Resources

- They can ask you for help at the lesson.

- They could ask their music teacher at school, a parent  or peer who knows enough about music.

Technical Resources

- If they can not identify a note, show them where they can look it up, such as a note chart or flash cards.

- If they do not know what a marking is such as “dim.” or “8va” show them how to use a music dictionary or even the internet to look it up.

- Show them they can refer to a recording or video of someone playing the song.

Step Four: Accountability

Set up an agreed upon time that the student will show you how they are progressing.  This is the most challenging part for the teacher.  The teacher is NOT to “check up” on the student.  The student is to report back to the teacher as to how they are doing.

- At the agreed upon time, the student shall play for the teacher and show them how their progress is going.  It is up the the STUDENT to self evaluate.  Identify places of strength and weakness.  The student should be able to tell the teacher if they played wrong notes or wrong rhythms. The student should be able to decide if they need to continue working on the song.  And the student should have an internal sense if it sounds “good” or “bad”.

Step Five: Consequences

The teacher should be certain the student knows all the possible consequences, good or bad, of learning the music or not.  These consequences fall into four categories.

Physical – A physical consequence could be in the form of a reward, or better technical ability.

Intellectual – An intellectual consequence would be they are strengthening their mind, their ability to think in abstractions, or to think about the big picture and small picture at the same time.

Emotional – The internal satisfaction of working at something and making progress, or the joy that comes from expression through music.  They also may connect more with their own internal emotions, or better yet, channel and release negative emotions in a way that does not harm others.

“Natural” – This is my favorite.  It’s the opposite of “social”.  Social consequences of playing well might be praise, awards or passing tests.  Natural consequences are governed by natural truths.  Playing well and progressing over time could result in happiness or a sense of purpose and meaning… of connecting with something bigger then yourself.  After all, isn’t this what music is really about?

Parents always ask – “How long should my child practice”.  I always answer with – “That’s the wrong question!”

They should be asking “What does it mean to practice music?”

Whether in kindergarten or retired the answer’s the same.  Practicing music means that you have, first the desire and second you integrate this desire as a habit into your life.

Practice is a habit.  It is personal.  But we look for finite answers – “practice 5 days a week for 30 minutes a day” because this is measurable.  So the word “practice” gets used as a verb.  “Go practice!”  It’s not a verb.  It’s a state of being.  “I am a practicing musician”.

As a parent, it would be far better to follow these steps.

1.  First, recognize that your child has an innate interest in music and it is an activity that is special and personal to them.

2. Help set up the best environment for them to play music.  Be sure their instrument is easily accessible.  Be sure this area in your house is clean, quiet, private and comfortable for them.  Be sure they have all the necessary resources nearby – books, pencils, a CD player.  Also, if you have a keyboard allow them to use headphones for privacy.

3. Do not tell them to practice!  There are dozens and dozens of more effective and indirect means to inspire the practice of music in a child.  Work with their teacher to explore these.  Try different books, songs, play along CDs, using headphone for private practice, music games, different placements of their practice area in your home.  You can even try a different teacher – and you can always go back to their old teacher.