How to become motivated to practice again?

[rowdy2898]

Hi everyone. I work as a piano teacher in a private school, I'm 24 years old and I suppose I should be happy with my current station in life. I also have a weekend post as a church organist and music director, which I used to be passionate about, and now I merely tolerate as a form of living  . Well, here's my dilemma: I majored in piano performance at a very prestigious university, practicing 3-4 hours regularly with the hopes of becoming...I don't know what I was hoping for. Famous concert pianist, or at least get accept into a fine masters program. That didn't happen, but instead I found employment at a very nice school with a wonderful boss. My current pay is $23/hr, which is fair but privately I could charge $40-$50 easily, although I wouldn't have nearly as many students. Now on to my students: I'm a nice guy, very laid back, only demanding when it's absolutely necessary, and as a result the kids love me (well, at least most of them  ). But I feel like I'm wasting my time, their time, since most have absolutely no ambition to practice. Their parents are all very lenient, yet they are convinced their kids are uber-amazing, one parent even suggested that his son DIDN'T NEED TO PRACTICE because he's already so talented (which he isn't), and since I'm such a fine pianist myself, he learns everything he needs in the lesson, right? I had a difficult formulating an answer without resorting to biting sarcasm. Then I have the parents who dare suggest that teachers are overpaid, or that they shouldn't make their kids practice so much (seriously, how are they going to get anywhere others?)

Anyways, I'm frustrated because I was raised to perform my tasks well, especially in piano but also in school. I also come from an Ashkenazi-Jewish background and I'm in immigrant, so my parents' expectations were...different from the general Canadian public. Now I feel like those 4.5 years of hard work were futile because I'm stuck with a crowd that is intellectually unmotivated, and as I result, I'm becoming one of them! I'm taking private lessons with the teacher who prepared me for my undergraduate auditions, she's very strict and she's noticing the increasing lethargy in my playing. Only this week I started putting in 3+ hours of intense, focused practicing isolating one section at a time. Unfortunately I don't know how long I can keep this for. I would like to audition for a Masters in Piano Performance next year, I'm hoping this will open doors for more intellectually stimulating positions (teaching at a real conservatory, managing a school, something similar). Can anybody with similar experiences please give me some feedback? If you know the market, maybe offer some input? Getting that graduate degree would be my dream, but I don't know the money spent on such a degree will be worth the outcome.

[pytheamateur]

I have no experience of being a professional musician, but can say in all seriousness that there is no bigger motivation to practise than to fall in love.

[rowdy2898]

That's not something I can control, lol. But thanks for your input.

[nanabush]

Same thing here, but the owner of the school where I teach pays me 15 an hour (not joking).

Sometimes its a matter of giving the parents a kick in the pants rather than the students (sometimes its hard, because I'm only 22, and some of these parents are 40's or 50's).  If it's an issue that I can't see myself and student solving, I have to tell the parent that they need to help out at home or else it'll become stagnant VERY quickly.  For some students, once they can break the shell and get into some basic form of practice habits, and realize that when they practice, they finish pieces (who'd've thought?!), they can naturally become more motivated in finishing more music.

Recitals are also good.  I let them know 2 months in advance when the recital is, and that they should aim to have 2 pieces ready.  Straight up, if they don't practice and aren't ready, they can't participate.  I used to let everyone play, but it ended up making overly long recitals where 30% of the students painfully struggled through pieces.

Blindly saying "please practice", will get the kid to say "why?", then you say "because".  Kids aren't totally dumb  .  Usually when they see the more advanced students (some of whom are the same ages as the non-practicing kid) they'll ask "whoa.. how long have they been playing".  That's when I tell them that the advanced student practices every day and that they worked very hard to have their piece ready...

Again, the parent has to help with this, because, often, you only see the student for 30-45 minutes a week... you have less influence than their most hated teacher at school. 

-----------

I also realized your initial question wasn't necessarily about how to get kids to practice (I just posted a few rant-oriented things in this forum lol).

I'm kind of in the same boat, have one more year in my music degree (I foolishly took economics for two years knowing that I had no knack for it.. and ended up restarting in performance).  There are so many ways to branch out with music (I'm teaching currently, and accompany at a dance school, and am pretty busy during instrumental exam times, where I get to charge my own rate wooo!).  I've recently took an interest in studio musician programs, and audio production.  Not necessarily to be a sound engineer... but seriously, years of classical training make picking up a new style very easy; harmony/theory/sight reading/ear training CAN be extremely useful in a practical setting other than teaching it.  What if you looked into more collaborative music?  Chamber groups?  Music studios needing session musicians, or get a group and play at local functions like weddings or fund raisers etc. 

I'm still brainstorming where I should be applying this winter, and those are some things that came to my mind.  The school where I teach has become a total dead end, the owner is VERY old and has stopped putting any effort.  Her reluctance to giving raises probably means she's going to retire soon and is trying to squeeze out every last freaking penny (she pulled out newspaper ads last year). 

[rowdy2898]

Hello nanabush, I enjoyed reading your response. It's encouraging to know there are people out there on the same boat. I'm surprised that you are ONLY 22, but the sound of your schedule you seem very well established for your age. I know too many music school graduates who are struggling to find a music-related gig. My best friend worked at Starbucks, earning minimum wage before going away to complete his Masters in Music Thoery last year. Unfortunately he's not very good at networking so I'm not sure how much his advanced degree will help.

Anyways, you are very motivated to make a difference in your students' lives, which is what I am looking for. Accepting medicority and throwing undeserved compliments, as well as blindly handing out stickers to younger students has become routine (I think stickers and prizes are good motivators, but it pains me to give them merely for being in the lesson and not doing anything extraordinary, like being able to play an assigned piece sufficiently well or answering lots of theory questions. My old teacher only ever gave me stickers 2-3 times a year, and believe me I worked hard to get them. In retrospect, I never thought she was "excessively" strict). My school also has recitals, and although I had to endure a few students struggle through their pieces, I proud to declare the figure wasn't quite 30%  . I've also come up with "shortcuts" for the less studious ones, I know it's poor practice but I know they don't intend to advance much further, and all their families care about is INSTANT GRATIFICATION. I wonder how much some of my old teachers would be cringing, having to deal with students and parents of that calibre.

I've read through several of your posts, I'm assuming you're Canadian? Which province do you live in? $15/hr seems too low for someone who's 22 and pursuing a performance degree. The environment you describe does not sound promising. "Grade 8" might be a stepping stone for a high school student, but definitely not for a respectable music teacher. At my school, almost everyone has a Bachelor's degree coupled with a grade 10 or ARCT. Judging by your repertoire, you're definitely a competent (and perhaps very talented) pianist. Are you considering collaborative piano for yourself? It is a valid option, and you don't have much to lose (no offense) at this point. You'll have to collaborate with singers a lot, that's where most of the money is, and opera singers are a *ahem* special breed of homo sapiens. There's also music recording, check out McGill University and Fanshawe College if you want to go down that path.

I also want to note that I've been taking classical voice lessons for 4 years and consider myself decent. I have a sizeable voice and I performed in a few small concerts. Right now it's an unrealistic dream, but I'm hoping someday I can make money off of it, either teaching voice or pulling a Paul Potts, winning a competition and getting a sweet record deal . I would love to become part of an opera company, even if I will only be a chorus member or bit singer. Any ideas as to what's out there for pianist-singers such as myself?

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I don't know how valid is what I'm about to say, but this is what my teacher did:

He took me to a concert where a 14 year old kid played Gaspard de la Nuit, Petrouchka, Feux Follets, Chopin's 3rd sonata, and Beethoven Op. 106.  After that I was like, 'dang...  I gotta do work!' and that got me PRETTY motivated.  Or he would often tell me about how his girlfriend recorded Gaspard de la Nuit and Petrouchka at age 12, how Dimitri Sogorus played Rachmaninoff's 3rd at age 12, and that would always get me to practice more.  Or I might watch a Valentina Lisitsa interview where she would go on about how she practices 14 hours a day!    But I don't know if that would have the opposite effect on you. 

[ajspiano]

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=2260.0

^if you have the balls..

Personally, I tell parents before the commencement of lessons that their involvement is compulsory and that they should attend lessons and know whats going on and what the child needs to do at home.

I would get frustrated working in a school for only ~$20/hour. As it is I charge $70/hour and a lot of the time I feel like I'm letting people off cheaply considering the amount of effort I put into their development outside their lesson as well as during. One advantage of being pricy is that you get students who are motivated to begin with - but you have to build up a reputation and live with a small number of students to begin with.

[j_menz]

My two cents (warning, may be overpriced):

Firstly, you seem to have two issues: (a) that you are unclear about your future (what you want to or are able to do in music) and (b) you have a crap teaching job that is not what you want.  The two are not unrelated, as the crap job seems to feed into your apprehension regarding the future.

I would think that you have about the worst of all possible music teaching jobs. Basically, you are teaching students who, for the most part, have pretty much zero interest in piano. Not that they hate it, just that they regard it as another "subject" in their schooling, like trigonometry or greek history. What you think of as "practice", they think of as "homework", and homework for one of their less important subjects (ie, it won't help them get into med/law school).

If you need the money (to live or to save for your masters), accept it for what it is or go flip burgers or whatever pays the rent. 

If you are thinking about teaching as a career, either change jobs to a place where it is a properly valued subject, or go private, where you should have more motivated students (or at least more motivated parents) and can be more choosey (at least in the longer term) about who you take on.

Oh, and take heart that you are by no means the first musician to start out with a crap teaching job. Quite a few of the greats did too.

[49410enrique]

My two cents (warning, may be overpriced):



Oh, and take heart that you are by no means the first musician to start out with a crap teaching job. Quite a few of the greats did too.

think about how many spoiled rich aristrocrat kids/'ladies' some of the old masters had to deal with lol

i.e this paper puts it nicely with evidence from Mozart on how much 'intense coaching' some of the ladies that were probably his better students needed before they could perform some of his works in public

https://www.biu.ac.il/hu/mu/min-ad02/portowiz_mozart.html

[timothy42b]

My current pay is $23/hr, which is fair but privately I could charge $40-$50 easily, although I wouldn't have nearly as many students.

My slant is a this.  Your pay is not bad for essentially babysitting uninterested students, and you have the security with it - you don't have to attract students or hound those who don't pay, you probably have health insurance and sick days, etc.  If you go private at $40 or $50, you'll have all those hassles and likely not make any more money, considering overhead and student turnover.  If you decide to stay a teacher, and decide the current scenario is less than rewarding, don't go halfway.  Go private, charge at least $100/hr, and make your students audition.  If you're really any good, you'll have a waiting list, and you'll be teaching only the very dedicated talented ones. 

 

Now on to my students: I'm a nice guy, very laid back, only demanding when it's absolutely necessary, and as a result the kids love me

Uh oh.  The thing about charging $100 per hour is you're going to have to earn it, and show success.  I think you'll need to be FAR more demanding.  As long as your students are placing well in competitions and getting accepted at conservatories, you can keep bumping your rates.  If not, your student count is going to drop. 

[j_menz]

This paper puts it nicely with evidence from Mozart on how much 'intense coaching' some of the ladies that were probably his better students needed before they could perform some of his works in public

I rather think Mozart quite enjoyed a bit of 'intense coaching' as far as some of the young ladies were concerned. 

[pytheamateur]

Chopin coached quite a few aristocratic ladies as well I think.

[49410enrique]

I rather think Mozart quite enjoyed a bit of 'intense coaching' as far as some of the young ladies were concerned. 

indeed. too funny!

[mcdiddy1]

I think it is ver admirable for you to want to pursue a master degree in piano performance . I dont know how different it is in your area but I know in the south having a master degree in a music is not necessary to be hired or to have a performance career. There are many people with master degrees in music that are no more talented than people without. Your skill level depends on your commitment to practice and grow regardless of what course work you completed. To be a successful musicians relies on your connections as well as your skill level.of course having both is more desirable but I know many people with master degrees that are looking for work.

In regards to your teaching situation, I think you need to realize you have a much bigger impact on the students and parents than you think you do. You cannot look for motivation to teach from the interest level of the students but from your own passion for music. Students and parents can feel when you are on fire for music and when you are feeling burnt out. Nothing motivates students more than playing music they love and what they can do well. Rather than harp on how unmotivated they are to play piano, try to listen them and learn about what subjects spark their interest and find ways to make connections to that. If they see music as a way to explore the subject they love then they may find their interest in the piano growing as well.

One big motivation for parents is seeing other students achieve success. Try and spend you energy on getting one student who lloves practicing and get them to play to a high level and then have all the students perform at a recital with this or students on that level. I would often intentionally scheduale certain students to perform at recitals with the idea of getting students to see other students perform. This past recital I have had multiple parents who while being impressed wi heir students would slip me the comment next time pick something harder. Having strategies like that gives parents the confidence that you can teach students to a high level, get a more realistic idea ( or maybe an intentionally unrealistic idea of their students skill level) of what is excellent playing for their age.

In the same recital I allowed one student who was not practicing to level she need to an opportunity to play in the recital hall she would be performing. After having multiple stops and frequent mistakes, I asked her is this how she wanted to sound and she said absolutely not. I was not emotionally invested in me saying the practicing is not sufficient enough. Coming from me being a constant optimist made a pretty large impact. When the father asked me I said flat out she is not practicing to the level she should be and she needs to put in the effort. Before I left the studio , I noticed she was in one of the practice room practing up a storm and at the recital she played flawlessly and flew through the piece. I am not saying this is solution for all students but it is an example of a situation where I used potential embarrassment and self assessment to encourage her to do what she need. Every student is different and sometimes you have to figure out what motivates the students in front of you . Sometimes you can be crafty and create situations that motivate the student or the parent even if they do not realize they maybe slightly manipulated.

[lilshort]

For me looking videos from kissin ,barenboim and others listen great performers!

[rowdy2898]

Wow, thank you everyone for your wonderful responses. I'm on my (reduced) summer schedule and I got to meet lots of new students that I'm subbing for, and so far I've been very satisfied. Even with my old students, I neglected to see the positive impact I've already made. J_menz, I think perhaps I sounded too whiny in my first post, since I strongly disagree with your claim that I have the "worst possible teaching job". I've heard much worse cases, I already have a better retention rate than most teachers, and although my rate is low, most of the school in my area charge even less. When I began teaching, I was paid minimum wage, if you can believe that!  Still, anything is better than flipping burgers. Not only am I getting more than twice the minimum rate, at least I'm committing to a field I enjoy.

Timothy, do you know ANYONE who actually charges that much? $100 an hour? You'd have to be a legend to be paid that much.

The consensus seems to be that masters degrees in piano performance are not necessary. Yet isn't it generally a pre-requisite for higher salaries? Most of the teachers I know, in my area (Toronto) who charge over $50/hr usually have an masters, doctorates (!) or at least an artist's diploma. If I don't have such a degree, what would be my rationale for charging that much? For the record I've never won a major competition (except for Kiwanis ) and I doubt I'll ever have the energy to prepare for the Chopin International Competition or anything of that scale, nor do I think it's worth the effort. The person who claimed to charge $70/hr (asjpiano), what are your credentials, if I may ask?

[pytheamateur]

As for charging rates of piano teachers, in London, UK, a graduate from a conservatoire charges about £30 an hour.  A teacher from a conservatoire charges at least £50 an hour.

At the even higher end, Richard Meyrick, a good teacher so I heard, but also a smooth-talking businessman who prides himself on teaching bankers and financiers in the City of London (i.e. the financial district) charges £90 an hour.

https://www.thepianostudio.co.uk/

Then you have a 32-year old called Georges Sokol who charges £110 an hour!!  He claims that he "is not a typical artist".  Well who can complain if there is a demand for such services.

https://www.gsokol.com/piano-lessons-london/

Here are some examples of Monsieur Sokol's playing.  You tell me if it's at the level of Horowitz so as to justify the exorbitant rate.

https://www.gsokol.com/videos/

[ichky]

I would like to go off topic here so you can get some intellectual insight:

Why do people buy weight gain products? Why to peopl try to invent the Fat Loss pill?
Did you know that there is a book out there that is called "Fat Loss 4 Idiots"? And it is a number 1 seller.

The Answer: Either there are many fat people out there who wants to lose weight, or there are many idiots out there, or BOTH!

What I'm trying to say is; people will pay you what ever price you ask for, providing that you can solve their problem and provide a QUICK SOLUTION.

If someone suddenly claim to the whole world that he is able to teach anyone how to play the piano and reach grade 8 in less than a year with minimum effort, what price do you think he can ask for from each students?

People don't really care what your credentials are, as long as you can deliver what you claim to provide, with some sort of a risk free guarantee.

That is all.

[amelialw]

Timothy, do you know ANYONE who actually charges that much? $100 an hour? You'd have to be a legend to be paid that much.

My current teacher charges $200 an hour...he's from julliard.....but to be fair he's probably one of the best teachers here.

I dunno...find a way to motivate yourself...the best way for me is to compete

[rowdy2898]

My current teacher charges $200 an hour...he's from julliard.....but to be fair he's probably one of the best teachers here.

I dunno...find a way to motivate yourself...the best way for me is to compete

Your teacher's education explains a lot. Juilliard is...unattainable for most people, especially us poor Canadian boys who don't have $50,000/yr to spend on tuition. Does your teacher have an MM or DMA? Just wondering. You sound like a competition-driven pianist, unfortunately I don't really enjoy restraining myself to a piano bench for 9 hours a day and learning the same pieces over and over until they're perfect. Like I said, 3 hours is difficult enough to do while I'm working. Another problem is, although I LOVE teaching advanced students, of whom I have several, I noticed that the highest-paid teachers have a certain level of...arrogance? That I am not willing to develop. Must I have the urge to be the very best at any cost, even (and especially) if that means crushing my competitors to bits? Many of the best piano teachers I've encountered were extremely cruel to their students, I've heard some horror stories and I didn't even go to a major conservatory. I can't picture myself as that teacher at all.

With that being said, I'd love to get more advanced students, kids (or young adults) who are genuinely interested in music, and less "weak" students, the kind of people who just don't seem to "get" music. I have many of them, I respect them and sometimes enjoy their company, but they never practice yet still show up to their lessons unprepared, and what for?! Teaching them anything can be a real excruciating pain which I think should be left in the hands of... lesser teachers. You know, the kind who doesn't care about ever preforming graduate school audition repertoire    

[j_menz]

If someone suddenly claim to the whole world that he is able to teach anyone how to play the piano and reach grade 8 in less than a year with minimum effort, what price do you think he can ask for from each students?

Not nearly enough to cover the lawsuits when he's proven wrong. 

[j_menz]

I noticed that the highest-paid teachers have a certain level of...arrogance? That I am not willing to develop.
...

Teaching them anything can be a real excruciating pain which I think should be left in the hands of... lesser teachers.

Cough. Cough.

[ajspiano]

Timothy, do you know ANYONE who actually charges that much? $100 an hour? You'd have to be a legend to be paid that much.

Well I do know a few, there's a place here in Melbourne, its a bit like a private music school - not an institution, just a few private teachers working out of the one studio. Their rate is $105/hr, or $65/half hour. They all hold a Bmus either in jazz or classical performance.

The person who claimed to charge $70/hr (asjpiano), what are your credentials, if I may ask?

I don't have on paper credentials - though I did some AMEB exams as a kid, my current repertoire on the Lmus list, so my on paper in in no way a reflection of my actual ability..  ...My strong point is in that I'm just (if you'll excuse the semi-egotistical sound of it) good at teaching. Mostly because instinctively I'm a teacher first, and music is my area of expertise. Not a musician who teaches as an income source.

My students stick with me and are happy to pay for it because they want a good teacher and they get one (at least the best one I can currently be - always room to improve) - and because they continue to improve at the instrument, while enjoying that process.

I'm worth $ because once all my students go home I'm not saying "great, now I can play some of my own music" - rather I'm saying "ok, so how can I improve on the lessons I gave today and become a better teacher" and I've been doing that for a long time.

[ajspiano]

For the record, as j_menz noted you appear to have plenty of arrogance.

If you want to be a brilliant teacher and currently find it excruciating to teach "weak" students, you should probably stop for a second and consider that at least in some regards you have weaknesses as a teacher. A student that is unmotivated and has trouble grasping ideas needs a better teacher not a "lesser" one.

[ted]

[counterpoint]

No need for arrogance on either side!  

A gifted and diligent student will get far even with the worst teacher - and a student, who doesn't practise and is not interested in playing the piano will not be "motivated" even by the best teacher.

The role of the teacher is much overrated imho.  

[ajspiano]

I was making a distinction between an uninterested student and an interested student that is struggling and so not practicing due to frustration.

No idea which kind Rowdy has ofcourse, I mean only to suggest that the question should be asked as to why exactly the student doesn't practice - "not genuinely interested" isn't the only answer.

Teachers can effect the level of motivation in a student. They don't come at either extreme on day 1. Part of the job is to find music that motivates a student and foster their exploration of music in general. It's also the teachers job to present the information in a way that works for the student. So if a student struggles, perhaps the method is wrong or missing something rather than the student is untalented and doesn't "get" music.

[amelialw]

Your teacher's education explains a lot. Juilliard is...unattainable for most people, especially us poor Canadian boys who don't have $50,000/yr to spend on tuition. Does your teacher have an MM or DMA? Just wondering. You sound like a competition-driven pianist, unfortunately I don't really enjoy restraining myself to a piano bench for 9 hours a day and learning the same pieces over and over until they're perfect. Like I said, 3 hours is difficult enough to do while I'm working. Another problem is, although I LOVE teaching advanced students, of whom I have several, I noticed that the highest-paid teachers have a certain level of...arrogance? That I am not willing to develop. Must I have the urge to be the very best at any cost, even (and especially) if that means crushing my competitors to bits? Many of the best piano teachers I've encountered were extremely cruel to their students, I've heard some horror stories and I didn't even go to a major conservatory. I can't picture myself as that teacher at all.

With that being said, I'd love to get more advanced students, kids (or young adults) who are genuinely interested in music, and less "weak" students, the kind of people who just don't seem to "get" music. I have many of them, I respect them and sometimes enjoy their company, but they never practice yet still show up to their lessons unprepared, and what for?! Teaching them anything can be a real excruciating pain which I think should be left in the hands of... lesser teachers. You know, the kind who doesn't care about ever preforming graduate school audition repertoire    

I'm actually not so sure about his whether he has a Masters or Doctorates but I do know that he taught at the Julliard Pre-College Division for a period of time. I've never sat at the piano for 9 hrs a day and merely do competitions here in my own country which is nothing....just a form of exposure and enjoyment. Yes I understand because I was living in canada for about 5 years previously. My present teacher and my mentor are excellent teachers and are demanding yet have never been 'cruel'.

Okay, commenting on what you've said you can't afford to be picky at this point and say that you want more advanced students and fewer weak ones....not unless that you are so great that everyone is rushing to get a chance to be your student like my 2 teachers above.

Frankly I myself was a very weak student when I 1st entered my mentor's studio, it only happened that I played for her what I was the best at; we went through many lessons where I was almost kicked out and many sessions when I left crying but I survived it all due to support and much determination

[pytheamateur]

I'm actually not so sure about his whether he has a Masters or Doctorates but I do know that he taught at the Julliard Pre-College Division for a period of time.

So one would expect a teacher from Juilliard proper to charge even more.

[bmbutler]

Poster who was wondering about majoring in music as a career needs to read this!

[amelialw]

So one would expect a teacher from Juilliard proper to charge even more.

yes...def

[rowdy2898]

ajspiano, thank you for the distinction, because the students I'm discussing are DEFINITELY the uninterested ones. Okay, some of them "get" music, but a few do not, at all. They are the students who can hardly get through one piece even after two months of working it to death, miss lessons without calling (that's the parents' fault though; and I still get paid, thank god), and occasionally make very rude comments regarding classical music. I would NEVER put down a student who was legitimately trying to improve and following my instructions, even if the progress was slow. Still, not all of my students are as bad as I described, but the ones who are just drain my energy. Once a girl told me "I don't even like piano, I only go because my mom is getting a discount from sending me and my brother to the same school". This is what I wanted to tell her: "Well dear, I can't make you do something you don't enjoy, so why keep coming?" Of course, I can't say that  she's a nice girl, but getting through one lesson with her is paaaaaainful.

j_menz, yes I am a little arrogant due to my ambition of doing things RIGHT. I've always been patient with those who were willing to learn the little knowledge I had to offer, and I always reward those who work hard, even if their results are not as good as I expected. I've been told many times, both by my parents and other people's parents, that I would make a good teacher. However, I cannot tolerate slackers, defeatists, and people who waste time. I find it appalling that mediocrity can be praised, especially in classical music, and not corrected. Because eventually I will get blamed by some parents because their kid didn't play so well in the year-end recital, even though their kid decided to play PS4 instead of piano. Not that there's anything wrong with playing PS4, but those kids won't accept their failures when they mess up on the big day. Compare that with the university teacher who will criticize your personal stylistics and call your playing "$hitty" when there are actually only a few corrections that need to be made, and can be made without resorting to making the student cry (referring to one of the posters). Sorry I'm just bitter that those teachers who allow themselves to spew hateful comments are also the once who are getting paid $10000 an hour (don't try to correct that figure, I know I'm right  )

[rowdy2898]

ajspiano, thank you for the distinction, because the students I'm discussing are DEFINITELY the uninterested ones. Okay, some of them "get" music, but a few do not, at all. They are the students who can hardly get through one piece even after two months of working it to death, miss lessons without calling (that's the parents' fault though; and I still get paid, thank god), and occasionally make very rude comments regarding classical music. I would NEVER put down a student who was legitimately trying to improve and following my instructions, even if the progress was slow. Still, not all of my students are as bad as I described, but the ones who are just drain my energy. Once a girl told me "I don't even like piano, I only go because my mom is getting a discount from sending me and my brother to the same school". This is what I wanted to tell her: "Well dear, I can't make you do something you don't enjoy, so why keep coming?" Of course, I can't say that  she's a nice girl, but getting through one lesson with her is paaaaaainful.

j_menz, yes I am a little arrogant due to my ambition of doing things RIGHT. I've always been patient with those who were willing to learn the little knowledge I had to offer, and I always reward those who work hard, even if their results are not as good as I expected. I've been told many times, both by my parents and other people's parents, that I would make a good teacher. However, I cannot tolerate slackers, defeatists, and people who waste time. I find it appalling that mediocrity can be praised, especially in classical music, and not corrected. Because eventually I will get blamed by some parents because their kid didn't play so well in the year-end recital, even though their kid decided to play PS4 instead of piano. Not that there's anything wrong with playing PS4, but those kids won't accept their failures when they mess up on the big day. Compare that with the university teacher who will criticize your personal stylistics and call your playing "$hitty" when there are actually only a few corrections that need to be made, and can be made without resorting to making the student cry (referring to one of the posters). Sorry I'm just bitter that those teachers who allow themselves to spew hateful comments are also the once who are getting paid $10000 an hour and their students are faithful enough that they probably won't leave them even after their egos are shredded to bits. (Don't try to correct that numerical figure, I know I'm right  )

[scherzo123]

Find pieces that you like and learn them

[ajspiano]

ajspiano, thank you for the distinction, because the students I'm discussing are DEFINITELY the uninterested ones. Okay, some of them "get" music, but a few do not, at all. They are the students who can hardly get through one piece even after two months of working it to death, miss lessons without calling (that's the parents' fault though; and I still get paid, thank god), and occasionally make very rude comments regarding classical music. I would NEVER put down a student who was legitimately trying to improve and following my instructions, even if the progress was slow. Still, not all of my students are as bad as I described, but the ones who are just drain my energy. Once a girl told me "I don't even like piano, I only go because my mom is getting a discount from sending me and my brother to the same school". This is what I wanted to tell her: "Well dear, I can't make you do something you don't enjoy, so why keep coming?" Of course, I can't say that  she's a nice girl, but getting through one lesson with her is paaaaaainful.

Not that I've ever had to, but if you teach privately - you can actually legitimately say "hey, seems like you hate piano, why do you want lessons at all?" though you may not word it like that of course, and it may be more directed at the parents than the student.

I don't really get students like that though..  as said before, being private and relatively pricey means I get people who are interested. I also don't push exams (won't go into why) which means that the parents who want to shove an uninterested child through exams don't choose me as an appropriate teacher either.. 

Also, I set "listening" tasks for a lot of students for pieces that they are not going to play, either because they are too difficult for the time being, or because they aren't even piano music - this is just music appreciation, ...lets just be excited about sound, and enjoy listening to music... because that's largely what motivates people to learn to play.

I also, for the most part, operate under a kind of THERE MUST BE MUSIC YOU LIKE policy when selecting repertoire in that I would rather show a student 100 pieces and find something they really like and will work hard to learn than have them choose between a limited number and only be half motivated. If this means composing something that fits their technical ability and stylistic preference then I do that too.

[beethovenopus2no3movt2]

[mistresstogould]

Anyways, I'm frustrated because I was raised to perform my tasks well, especially in piano but also in school. I also come from an Ashkenazi-Jewish background and I'm in immigrant, so my parents' expectations were...different from the general Canadian public. Now I feel like those 4.5 years of hard work were futile because I'm stuck with a crowd that is intellectually unmotivated, and as I result, I'm becoming one of them! I'm taking private lessons with the teacher who prepared me for my undergraduate auditions, she's very strict and she's noticing the increasing lethargy in my playing. Only this week I started putting in 3+ hours of intense, focused practicing isolating one section at a time. Unfortunately I don't know how long I can keep this for.

You should watch the documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It is the most inspiring documentary I have ever seen, especially for a pianist, and even interweaves the theme of playing classical music into how this master sushi chef designs his sushi dinners. This documentary shows what it takes in thought and in action, in order to become great. It is the strive for perfection, the belief that everything can be improved with discipline and sound ethics. It will raise your standards even higher than they were before. The last thing you want to do is to let mediocre people drag you down to their level. One of the most motivating factors for me in practicing is the desire to be better than the majority of disappointing people that I encounter every day all day. If you become like them, all you will feel is guilt and lack of pride: is not that enough of a reason to practice? You clearly feel guilty: the only way to alleviate that guilt is to practice.

Here is the link to Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Please watch it.
https://www.magpictures.com/jirodreamsofsushi/

[hfmadopter]

Sounds to me like you need to isolate your students attitudes from your own first off. Also, how bad do you want that masters ? Seems to me if that's something you really have a super strong desire for then that's your motivation right there. If not then less motivated is a natural outcome. It's a matter of goals. A goal is something that is required to get motivated over with anything in life. If your goal is not a strong one, the steps leading to it are weak, IMO.

For me to practice a lot of intense hours I need a performance on my menue for instance, otherwise I'm just a fluff along at the piano. Adjust your view of your goal and this may straighten itself out.