Progress Reports

[meli]

Hi guys, do you do progress reports for your students. I have 1 parent who asked for it for her kid - I told her, sure I can do it, I will do an evaluation every 6 mths. This parent suggested nicely, isn't that 'reactive' teaching? Er.. I didn't understand - she suggested why not make it abit 'proactive' - i.e. with future goals in mind. I thought about it, and somehow like the idea! So I now plan on using it for my students at the start of each term. I am still not sure how to do this report - its giving me a headache (format)! I am thinking of doing one for each grade. Putting in the scales, arpeggios is easy but it seems like a huge task looking for pieces & technique exercises & things to focus on to 'make the grade!'  Being a new teacher doesn't help either! Do any of you more experienced teachers do this?

[quantum]

I'd suggest you be careful in balancing elements of 'proactive' and 'reactive' teaching.  A large amount of teaching in piano (or any other instrument) is reactive.  Piano is a physical skill, and the teacher corrects and refines a students moments through observation and interaction.  Students all have their individual struggles and paces of learning.  Teaching all students to a generic template of progress is not effective in piano teaching IMO. 

Being 'proactive' comes into play with anticipating the next steps for each individual student to improve some aspect of their playing.  This could be technique development, repertoire choices, exam preparation, etc.

As grades in music performance are subjective and more often than not are not an accurate representation of a students abilities, I do not focus my teaching on making the grade.  Rather, I have the student aim at becoming a better musician.  Focus on skill development and musical achievement rather than a numerical value. 

[lostinidlewonder]

Piano is a physical skill, and the teacher corrects and refines a students moments through observation and interaction.  Students all have their individual struggles and paces of learning.  Teaching all students to a generic template of progress is not effective in piano teaching IMO.

I agree and the points where we teach a generic path and where we diverge to attend to the students personal needs is important to understand as a teacher. Where the student "does not know they do not know" we must merely tell them to take that path, there is no if's or but's like teaching technique you mentioned. But then again the steps we take to define technique to our students is as individual as they are but the concept of mastery of the particular technique should be the same naturally.

Repertoire selection is in my lessons at least always a combination of teacher/student decision making. The teacher measures the students level/needs, provides a list of pieces that would be suitable and the student chooses what interests them the most. Sometimes you can miss the mark and none of the piece the student likes so then you have to go back to the drawing board and work out some other selections. As a student who was forced in doing many many pieces I disliked I made a promise with myself never to teach someone something they where totally not interested in. We have to give people time to develop the interest, I use to hate Bach as a child but now I love it, there are many other examples of this in action in peoples live even outside of the piano world, we should never force things onto people it will be a disservice to them and you may inadvertently make them hate something for a longer period of time that they otherwise would have learned to love a lot faster without your interference.

The time it takes for a student to absorb information is totally dependent on the student and the way in which you explain yourself again must be dependent on the student. There is no use talking complicated to a child or like a child to an adult, no use trying to force to keep a student attention if they have focus problem. We also have to pick up on your students energy levels, there is no use to force them into strenuous routines if they are tired and worn out, good to push them hard when they feel high of energy etc.

I find what all students need help with no matter how good or what age they are is encouragement and discipline. Even those that work hard every day need to be pushed harder, no one should feel comfortable and complacent with how they do their work, it slows you down and reduces your inspiration to improve. You need to set your students short mid and long term goals, explore their dreams with the piano, structure is very important for children each week they have to know how they have improved, what they have done, what they are doing and where they are going.

You also have to find what excites the student about piano, not all of my students are excited about the piano, some merely do it because it is something that challenges them or something their parents want them to do, but they just don't have that emotional connection with the instrument like most of us at pianosteet. This is not to say that these students progress and can play the piano very well, but as teachers I believe we need to try and allow our students to find out what it is about the piano that excites them this can indirectly improve their piano methodology a great deal.

As grades in music performance are subjective and more often than not are not an accurate representation of a students abilities....

I agree and to prove that point to my students who do exams I show them the easiest list selections for their grade. Some might sound quite boring but it makes the work load for my students a lot less and they achieve much higher marks. Although I have to agree musical exams associations are getting more accurate in grading pieces, they still miss the mark and we can find these loopholes and play pieces that are easier than the grade they are supposed to be. One teacher said to me it is like gymnastics competitions where a more difficult trick will get more marks if it is accurately performed but I have to disagree with it when it comes to piano exams or competitions even, a mastered rendition piece will generally defeat someone who plays something a little more difficult but in a mediocre fashion. But some examiners might be impressed by more advanced and give more marks, it can be a very personal response. How exams are marked are so subjective and I have always been horrified that exams are usually adjudicated only by one person!

With my students who do exams at least a month before they have to sit we are doing practice exam rounds. I will get them to go through their grade material and I will give them a written report back. I like to highlight to them that they can have good days and bad days and that exams only ever look at this one little window of time. So how can we make a good day have more chance of arriving. Without warming up their hands I will get them to play their pieces, get them to start in awkward passages or mid phrase, if they have digitals I will transpose the key as they play, whatever we can do to try and make them have a bad day. Of course I don't harass them for too long but it is good to highlight that when you do exams are not always as comfortable as you are at home.

[keyofc]

I give goal sheets.  I guess they could be considered progress reports.
I have noticed that kids like them a lot.
Even some adults like them.
I think it is motivating for them.  There are times when I forget about them -and I can notice their motivation waning a little when I don't have them.