Topic: Selecting A new piece for a student... HELP!!!

[bach_ko]

i have two questions regarding this topic... there are:

1) what are the most likely errors a teacher may be guilty of in the selection of pieces for a student?

2) what points would you take into consideration in selecting a new piece for a student?

[ryanyee]

that he or she will choose a piece which the student hates to the core, and which ends up in both of them arguing.

[m19834]

Well, I think that what ryanyee has said is true to some extent, but I think it's actually more complex than just that.  There are a number of factors tied into why a piece would work for a student as well as how the work will go during the process of learning it.

1 -- The only mistake a teacher can make is having the piece be a "mismatch" for the learning circumstances (and that is not just about the student).

2 -- The circumstances in which the piece is being learned. 

The second part of that is much more involved than a person may think because the "circumstances" in which the piece will be learned actually includes several different factors.  I think that for most students whom truly are needing lessons with a teacher, the biggest "circumstance" that will affect repertoire selection is the format of the lessons.  For example, an "average" beginner whom is meeting with a teacher once a week for half an hour would be in much different learning circumstances than an "average" beginner whom is meeting with a teacher for an hour each week spread over 5 days in a row. 

Of course, the reason those circumstances make a difference for the student is because the student (in those cases) has limited knowledge in most areas when it comes to learning a piece of music.  There are three main points that a pianist/musician will be aiming at developing :

1.  Musical awareness and strategy of learning a piece (this includes many things).
2.  Knowledge regarding the instrument itself (this also includes many things).
3.  Knowledge regarding how the body is best used to incorporate the above two factors into physical demonstration.

If a student is truly advanced in those three areas above, they can handle just about any piece or at least know quite well what their limits are and at that point, they can be making their own decisions about what to play, and they need much less guidance in their endeavors (which basically means a different lesson-format). 

Lessons should always be appropriately formatted to fit the specific needs of the individual student (and the repertoire being learned).  Beginners and intermediates whom are still in true need of guidance in the above areas of development should have lesson formats designed to fit the repertoire being studied, and the repertoire studied in these cases can be their choice within the teacher's choice (for example, they are given a selection to choose from, all of which have been appropriately chosen by the teacher).

[syncope]

If you happen to give your student a too difficult piece or a piece you notice he/she doens't like, don't worry.

As soon as you notice you just have to say honestly: "Well I'm sorry, I have given you a too difficult piece, I miscalculated that and I'm sorry. Here is a new and better piece to fit you". Maybe play the piece through yourself so the student can hear it. Maybe play it quatre-mains, if the student can plan one hand. And you finish of the piece, up to the new piece.

If you notice he/she doens't like the piece, don't work on it too thoroughly, just some important things, and then go to the next piece. There are so many pieces for piano! It's a waste for the student to have to play something he/she doens't like, there is bound to be pieces he/she does like.

If your unsure if you're student will like the piece you had in mind to give, then pick out three appropriate pieces and let the student choose which he wants to study.