Handling Transfer Student's Special Needs

[reinvent]

What do you do when you get a transfer student who is in a more advanced book than they need to be when they come to you?
Obviously I will not continue in the book - but when they are on their third book and cannot read music without thinking for a long time - how do you help them without deflating them?
I have a student who has worked for a year on a simple Minuet.  THough he was able to play it for me on his first lesson -  I couldn't believe they had him going that long on it.
I don't want to make the child feel bad, because it's obvious he was not evaluated correctly.
Are there any crossover books recommended for this type of problem?  Any ideas?
thanks

[Swan]

I wouldn't make him buy a whole new book, and there's no need to tell him, "okay, we're going backwards now."

Just assign some individual pieces that you think would help him wherever his weaknesses are.  Tell him 'this is something special', let's see if you can play this in two weeks - or whatever goal you think is appropriate.

Sometimes, work needs to be done away from the piano and without books.

If it's a note recognition thing, then that's what needs to be addressed and developed.  Was he taught individual notes, the interval approach, the ole every good boy deserves fruit way.  Whatever it was, supplement it with other ways as well.  Can he only work out notes if he is sitting at the piano with the keys in front of him?  Take him away to a table and do some work there.

Get a white board, draw some staffs with a permanent marker, use white board markers and a cloth to erase, and practise note drills (or just use manuscript paper)

1.  You write the note, he names them.
2.  You say the note, he writes them.
Take the board to the piano.
3. You write the note, he plays them.
4. You play the note, he writes them.

Design 'games' which will develop his particular weaknesses.  

Example
Write
1.
2.
3.
On a sheet of paper.
1. is treble notes
2. is bass notes
3. is both
He gets a minute to name as many as he can each 'game'.  If he can get the most correct in the third game, he gets a prize (or that's at least his goal).

Start thinking along these sort of lines to bridge gaps in student's skills.  Not everything has to be done with a book! It's fun, so their minds are engaged which means they're more inclined to learn and thus progress.

It may not be necessary to stop using the book he already has.  You may just need more preparation work.  So get the next piece he's up to,
1. find out if he knows all the notes - if he doesn't design exercises, games to work on this,
2. does he recognise the rhythms involved - work on this
3.  Anaylse the form, can he divide it into sections: themes (binary/ternary/rondo).
4.  Are there motifs that repeat, circle them so the same ones are of the same colour.

In other words, disect the piece to smithereens before he even attempts to play it.  And then, his goals should only be things like:
1. Section A, left hand
2. Section A right hand
3. Section A, both hands.

These three examples don't need to be completed in a week each, but can be a goal for the entire week.  Say his lesson is on a Monday.  Then by Wednesday he should have mastered 1. Friday, mastered 2. Sunday practising 3. etc.

What books is he using reinvent?

[reinvent]

Thanks Swan - he's using the Bastien Intermediate Repertoire.
Good ideas - I had decided to use handouts for awhile, but would like to get him a different book when the time is right.
I think I'll try your note reading idea.

[bernhard]

I agree with everything Swan said.

I don’t use method books, so I am not sure if my answer will be helpful to you.

I do however consider the following three areas as basic, and they should be equally developed if a student is to progress at a fast rate.

1.      Sight reading.
2.      Scales, chords and how they relate to music
3.      How to learn/practice a piece.

I often tell my students that piano learning is like pouring water on a three sided waterbox. If one of the sides is shorter than the other, the water will only rise to that level, no matter how tall they may have built the other walls. They must build all three walls so that they are always on the same level.

I don’t get many transfer students these days, because most parents cannot face putting their children on a daily scheme of lessons after they got used to the idea that piano is only ½ hour a week. And I tend not to accept them, since I prefer to work from scratch, rather than keep fighting with bad habits (by the way, I think it is very unfair to blame a student’s bad habits on the previous teacher. More often than not, the previous teacher did all in his/her power to guide the student, but the student never paid any attention and did pretty much what they pleased).

However, I have on occasion taken a transfer student. And you find all three kinds:

1.      Can read and sight read music beautifully, but cannot play Happy Birthday to You if requested (by ear).
2.      Can play a very advanced repertory, and can ripple through scales, but has no idea what is the key of the piece s/he just played. Cannot name a chord. Has no idea on how tonality works or what is the importance of the degrees of the scale. Cannot read music if his/her life depend on it.
3.      Has been learning the piano for 10 years. Cannot play anything. Has no idea whatsoever of how to practice or learn a piece efficiently. Resists the idea that practice must be done consistently, daily and with aim.

Whatever is the neglected area, that is what I will start straightaway. I don’t really care at this point what the student wants to do. If s/he cannot sight-read we will concentrate on that for the first three months. We will find simple pieces that s/he wants to learn and use them as sight reading material. If the student has no knowledge of scales, that is what we will be doing. But we will be doing it through free improvisation, so whatever it is that we do is done always with a musical purpose. Eventually everything focus on the repertory the student is learning. From his/her selected pieces, scales and chords (=theory and harmony) will be studied, sight reading will be polished and efficient methods to learn/practice a piece will be investigated.

Of course there is much more to music than these three basic areas. But these are the three that make up the foundation. If these three are nor sorted out, no progress.

(By the way, I have no qualms in deflating a student if s/he is overinflated, he he. On the other hand if s/he is already deflated, then I will do my best to inflate them. So each case is each case).

I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[Swan]

Has been learning the piano for 10 years. Cannot play anything.

LOL that's funny.... actually perhaps it's really sad   - now you've got me all in a tither! Tell me you were using hyperbole!

[janice]

(By the way, I have no qualms in deflating a student if s/he is overinflated, he he.

LOL--I would love to be a fly on the wall and watch this!!

[Egghead]

LOL--I would love to be a fly on the wall and watch this!!

Strangely enough, I think you would not actually enjoy the experience (even just watching).
Plus the student may just be frustrated enough to swat you. Then you would be stuck on that wall forever. No more Janice, no more chili, no more piano playing  
Would that really be worth it?