student keeps playing when you're trying to talk

[luv2teach]

my 6 yr old student plays on the piano when I'm trying to talk to him or tell him something.   Other than "please stop playing when I'm trying to talk to you" (which he doesn't seem to care), any suggestions on what to do?    He's very fidgety and can't sit still for too long without getting restless or distracted.   He is a student that loves to show off, look at his own reflection in the piano.

[faulty_damper]

This behaviour can actually be put to good use in your favour.  In this situation, you have to option of talking (which hasn't worked) or let him continue what he is doing and wait for the right opportunity to interject your expertise.

He's still in the exploratory phase of learning and he'll continue with this behaviour until he's out of ideas... but it may take a while before he's out.  Until then, you can just guide him with subtle gestures because he is more intune to gestures than speech (this is probably true for some adults, too).

[counterpoint]

There must be somewhere else another thread on this topic.

The behaviour of some students (age doesn't matter imho) can be very embarassing for the teacher, who tries to explain things. It seems, that some students just want to play, but their interest in corrections and new insights is very limited. "Tell me what you want, I will not do it in any case". If the student doesn't want to learn something from you - you cannot do much. 

[thalberg]

LOL!!! I used to play the piano while my teacher talked to me.  It made her mad.

Anyway, when students do that, I just keep talking like it's no big deal, and I gently place my hands over theirs.  They get the idea and put their hands in their lap.

[beethovenlover]

Haha, I kept playing too...or if her explanations started getting too long, I'd start sight-reading new parts. I was still listening though. Maybe your student is just a good multi-tasker. If not, just let him do his thing. He's probably hearing more than you think.

[jlh]

Slap his hand each time he plays while you're talking.


OH!  This isn't the Agony Aunt thread?  Forget that then... 

Josh

[amelialw]

when I 1st started lessons with my present teacher, sometimes by mistake I would carry on playing when she was talking, sometimes I still forget and she'll just gently remind me that it's impolite to do that or tap me on the knee.

[penguinlover]

There are some good suggestions in other older threads on this subject, but it would take some searching.  I might try an activity that would channel his energy, like physically marching around and clap rhythms.  Do something physical, then see if he can sit still for a few more minutes.

[invictious]

Get a cane and whip his thighs.

Don't worry, I do that all the time too, so it's no big deal. He probably IS listening.

[pianistimo]

not to generalize, but i think young boys are more likely to exhibit this behavior.  the first couple of comments - about just letting them continue until they are likely to listen may work with some...whereas others might use this to their advantage to just 'bug' the teacher (excessive time-wasting).  perhaps a combo of ideas might work.  for instance, shutting the lid - walking around - as pianolover mentioned - and picking something about the piece to discuss whilst shooting a plastic or airfilled ball into a hoop (specially designed for this kid).  it would be a form of behavior modification that the child would soon notice.  no playing (lid goes down) when teacher talks - but interaction stays the same.  it might be better than severely reprimanding or making the child feel bad about lack of discipline - but teaching it to them a little bit at a time.  ADD students probably don't even know what they are doing - but gradually will get the idea of how to manage their fidgity problems.

shorter lessons might be an idea, too.  however much concentration time they can muster.

agony aunt would say - give them a handful of candy. 

[invictious]

Ooooh ooh ooh, how about stuffing an apple in their mouth?





Sorry for trolling.

[pianowolfi]

Stop talking and be meaningfully silent until he stops. If he starts again playing you stop talking again, and so on, until he gets it.

[astroboy]

I teach piano on a crappy digital piano, so if i have a student that continues to play, i simply turn it off.. and if they continue to keep playing, i'll close the lid.. hehe

[Bob]

I think the kids who did this to me were bored.  I just gave them shorter "commands" so they had to play. 

Not that that always worked.

[joyfulmusic]

I stop them immediately.  I tell them they can play all they want after the lesson, but not when I'm teaching them, cause that's what i'm there for.  girls do it just as much as boys.  I also have them playing scales and arpeggios as soon as their little brains can do it (within the first few lessons).  So the little devils are happy for a break when they finish. 

[msadrienne]

Oh, LOL! I had to reply to this one. I have students of every age who do this, and sometimes I just have to laugh -- it's like I'm not even in the room. Now, granted, I am of fairly small stature and not especially imposing in terms of my voice, but sheesh! The other thing that is MORE irritating is when I am demonstrating a particular technique or phrasing/articulation/younameit and they PLAY OVER ME before I finish the demo.  I usually say something like "please let me finish my thought . . . "

It really does make me chuckle sometimes, though. They must be able to multitask, because usually they "get" it (whatever the instruction was).

~Adrienne (coming out of lurkdom) in Kentucky, USA

[a-sharp]

Stop talking and be meaningfully silent until he stops. If he starts again playing you stop talking again, and so on, until he gets it.

I'm old [LOL]... and my teacher does this b/c even though I know better, sometimes you just want to play. She essentially acts like I'm interrupting her - I do get it - and I stop. She doesn't get bent out of shape about it - and sometimes, she actually wants to hear what I'm trying to do.

With my own students, I'll do the same, or, I simply just way - 'wait a second please...  - I'll pick up their hands if I have to - but I never get upset [outwardly] - I guess because I understand the urge]. I *think* they tend to respect me more because I don't get really upset.

Don't get me wrong - I DO get upset with my students! - I just don't loose my temper - I just prefer to say stuff like, "can you tell I'm really really frustrated right now?? *insert forced smile and exaggerated fake threats* ' LOL I joke about being upset, but somehow they know I'm serious - if that makes any sense at all... It's hard to explain in text form.

[leahcim]

I think sometimes it's a disconnect between the teacher who interprets the students understanding only from their playing [or more from their inability to play]

Then a students mistakes or bad playing is interpreted as their misunderstanding or ignorance of what is correct.

Whereas the student is thinking "Yes I know what I just did..I know it's wrong...I know what I should be trying to sound like....I'm trying to play it correctly...what I need is for you to say something about HOW to correct it and not your usual bollocks..." and so they play over what is probably you repeating yourself.

I quit my first teacher when I realised that after 3 or 4 lessons she'd said everything she was ever going to say [and there was nothing specific or detailed in it] and so by the 10th lesson it
was pointless listening to her and I started to play over her, and I could see from the look on her face she thought I was being rude. I knew my playing was sh*t, but she had nothing to offer to fix it, other than stating the obvious [i.e some aspect of the playing that was wrong, rather than 'here's how to play...']

The worst of it was that, each week, the mistakes would change, so lesson after lesson would be wasted switching from 'play it slow' to 'play the dynamics' or whatever she'd decided after 1 or 2 bars was wrong this week, without ever getting anywhere - especially when she repeated a 10 minute generic speech.

She simply couldn't understand that the mistakes weren't ignorance of making a mistake and nor was saying "your tempo is wrong" or going into a long diatribe about how important tempo was, "especially when you play with other musicians" as though she imagined I was playing like a **** deliberately, rather than because I was completely and utterly ignorant of what I could do to fix the mistake. Had she said something about about how to fix it I'd have closed the lid of the piano or stood up and let her play.

So bear that in mind, if you've a 5 year waiting list and you're on your 3rd internationally acclaimed book, perhaps they're just being rude, but OTOH, perhaps it's just a politer way of them criticising what you're saying, without saying it outright?

[chocolatedog]

Chop their hands off? 

[n_n]

I thought it was a simple matter... Can't you just say in a friendly way with smiles and a kind tone "OK, don't play now and just listen to me. This is really important. If you get it, you'll be able to play that part 100 X better...  " If they repeat the behavior, to a naughty little boy, you might as well jokingly grab his hands and tell him to listen, tell him elsewise hands won't be returned to him... Come on, those are just little boys. Play with them! Speak their language!

[gyzzzmo]

Give them a decent beating, maybe that helps