Teachers: Describe your ideal adult student

[bernadette60614]

After 4 years of dabbling, I'm committed to studying piano seriously.  Teachers, describe your ideal adult student...since I've been a adult slacker!

[Bob]

One who tries, is open to things, is interesting in different things, different types of music.  Good personality, helps for teaching. 

But not an automaton.  Being able to think for themselves.  If something the teacher mentions doesn't work, smart enough to try something else.

On the teaching side, a student who does what they're told so you can see how what you're teaching works.  If you got a genius student, you could be doing a crappy job, teaching the wrong things, and they would still improve. 

On the business side, one that shows up and pays on time.

[virtuoso80]

I work with a lot of adult students. At the end of the day, the biggest issues are those that cancel a whole lot. I mean, I had a guy who never got to practice, but he either showed up every week, or was happy to pay me when he cancelled, even if not that short a notice. I can't complain about someone like that.

Of course, not practicing students are never the most fun either. I had a semi-retired CEO as a student who never failed to practice. His offhand comment was, "If you're going to do something, you should commit to it." Many people fail to have his discipline.

[keypeg]

I work with a lot of adult students. At the end of the day, the biggest issues are those that cancel a whole lot. I mean, I had a guy who never got to practice, but he either showed up every week, or was happy to pay me when he cancelled, even if not that short a notice. I can't complain about someone like that.

Of course, not practicing students are never the most fun either. I had a semi-retired CEO as a student who never failed to practice. His offhand comment was, "If you're going to do something, you should commit to it." Many people fail to have his discipline.

So to paraphrase, your answer to the ideal student would be someone who practices and shows up for lesson - both rather consistently.  Correct?

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Someone who can follow directions lol

[keypeg]

Someone who can follow directions lol

... of someone who knows how to give them. 

[dinulip]

My ideal adult students are those who practise 6 days a week for at least half-an-hour, follow  *exactly* my instructions, and understand/accepts that Rome was not built in a day. 

[keypeg]

Some observations on these (I'd be interested in your reactions)

My ideal adult students are those who practise 6 days a week for at least half-an-hour, follow  *exactly* my instructions, and understand/accepts that Rome was not built in a day. 

On following instructions exactly:
a) Adult students are more likely to not end up with the best of teachers, and if that part is a fail and they don't realize it, following wrong instructions may not be the best idea.  The underlying problem is that an inexperienced person entering a new field may not be able to tell; or be too shy to speak up.

b) What I hear repeatedly from teachers is that adult student tend to follow them too precisely, way more and much more literally than the teacher intended, with some odd results.  Some have told me that they want to have feedback about problems or difficulties.  In fact, wanting to give the teacher perfect results can create other difficulties for teachers.

This is something I had to work out with my teacher: How much to use my own judgment, when to use my judgment.

and understand/accepts that Rome was not built in a day. 

What might help here too is to redefine what goals and success actually are.  Playing a piece of music to sound perfect is not the goal, and this being unattainable at first, not being able to reach it is also not failure.  Playing one correct note, followed by another correct note, with a good sound and comfortable hands, this is a reachable goal.  You focus on each brick that builds Rome.

On the same topic, what I run into on and off with fellow students is where they get a teacher who rushes them through: here it's the teacher who wants to build Rome in a day.  Sometimes it's because they are going toward what they think adults want, and sometimes it's somebody who doesn't actually know how to teach.  Often, if a student already plays another instrument, the teacher doesn't realize that the breath of the trumpeter and the bow hand of the cellist does not automatically translate into the percussive touch of the pianist.  They also are afraid of insulting a student who is experienced in another instrument.  Communication in this case (incl. initiated by the student) seems to be the key.

On that last point: any thoughts on communication?  One teacher told me that he dreads the "obedient" student because then he has no idea where anything is really at.  This teacher wanted feedback.

[1hummingbird]

The ideal student will:

1.  Practice what you assign
2.  Be attentive and open to new topics
2.  Show up for lessons almost all of the time
3.  Pay on time
4.  Ask questions about music at hand, but don't  talk too much or too little

[keypeg]

The ideal student will:

1.  Practice what you assign
2.  Be attentive and open to new topics
2.  Show up for lessons almost all of the time
3.  Pay on time
4.  Ask questions about music at hand, but don't  talk too much or too little

For number 1 - What if there are problems with doing that - for example, taking your instructions too literally, and thus getting into trouble?  How about adding to that: letting you know of problems or questions?  But maybe after you've had a chance to see and hear, because you might already catch what is going on that way.

[klavieronin]

My Ideal student is one who pays but never turns up, so instead of teaching I can just practice.

[keypeg]

My Ideal student is one who pays but never turns up, so instead of teaching I can just practice.

Helpful?  Not.

[klavieronin]

Helpful?  Not.

Apologies. I didn't realise this was a joke free zone.

In that case, to answer the question seriously, I can't really imagine an "ideal" student from a teachers perspective. That is, it shouldn't matter much what the student is like for the teacher. As long as they come to the lessons each week, you do your best to help guide them along the right path. Whether they are talented or not, enthusiastic or not, intelligent or not, none of that should matter to the teacher because it's not the student's responsibility to make the teacher's job as easy as possible.

From the student's perspective however, I think I can imagine an "ideal" student. That is, the kind of student I expect to learn quickly and become a decent pianist. That kind of student is someone who is intelligent, determined, patient, and most importantly, has a deep attachment to music. It also helps if they don't have many social commitments.

[dogperson]

Apologies. I didn't realise this was a joke free zone.

In that case, to answer the question seriously, I can't really imagine an "ideal" student from a teachers perspective. That is, it shouldn't matter much what the student is like for the teacher. As long as they come to the lessons each week, you do your best to help guide them along the right path. Whether they are talented or not, enthusiastic or not, intelligent or not, none of that should matter to the teacher because it's not the student's responsibility to make the teacher's job as easy as possible.

From the student's perspective however, I think I can imagine an "ideal" student. That is, the kind of student I expect to learn quickly and become a decent pianist. That kind of student is someone who is intelligent, determined, patient, and most importantly, has a deep attachment to music. It also helps if they don't have many social commitments.

Although it is not a student’s responsibility to make the teacher’s job easy, wouldn’t any teacher have a mental picture of their ideal student?  Surely the teacher would have preferences of those you ascribe to the ‘student ‘. 

[klavieronin]

Although it is not a student’s responsibility to make the teacher’s job easy, wouldn’t any teacher have a mental picture of their ideal student?  Surely the teacher would have preferences of those you ascribe to the ‘student ‘.

I've honestly never had a preference. Except perhaps for students who are polite and respectful (and don't constantly change their lesson time).

[keypeg]

In that case, to answer the question seriously, I can't really imagine an "ideal" student from a teachers perspective. That is, it shouldn't matter much what the student is like for the teacher. As long as they come to the lessons each week, you do your best to help guide them along the right path. Whether they are talented or not, enthusiastic or not, intelligent or not, none of that should matter to the teacher because it's not the student's responsibility to make the teacher's job as easy as possible.

From the student's perspective however, I think I can imagine an "ideal" student. That is, the kind of student I expect to learn quickly and become a decent pianist. That kind of student is someone who is intelligent, determined, patient, and most importantly, has a deep attachment to music. It also helps if they don't have many social commitments.

It's one of the best answers I've seen, if not the best. I couldn't help wondering why the question was asked in the first place, though I sort of guessed.  A lot of us probably do think we bear responsibility where we don't - I'm sure I went through such a phase in my early years, and among other things, it stopped me from voicing legitimate concerns.  The other worry is at not being good enough. The simple answer always seems to be what has been expressed a couple of times: show up, try what was assigned, how it was assigned, regularly and with a bit of intelligence - that's all.  Worry is kind of counterproductive.  Curiosity and interest - the opposite.

[sucom]

My Ideal student is one who pays but never turns up, so instead of teaching I can just practice.

I love this answer; it really made me smile  

[lostinidlewonder]

As a teacher I don't have an ideal student because each one really does teach me something important whether they are a "good" or "bad" student. The easiest students to teach are of course those who go through all your lesson instructions, totally compliant with what you provide them without any question. This for me is not really an ideal student because I want to hear their questions, what is going on in their mind, I want to hear them disagree with my ideas and offer their own solutions, I want them to be open to challenge my ideas and their own and we should come to some solution which works for them at their current capabilities.

[dogperson]

Janet
The ideal student is one who works to complete his homework.... not one who frauds his homework by buying it.