difficulties in teaching

[ludwig]

Un-musical students, this is probably a bit harsh but some of my students are doing higher piano grades and their playing is just not "heart felt"... usually in grades 7 or 8 the examiner look for musical performance, rather than playing the notes. So I have been trying to make them sing the melodies and work out the phrasing and dynamics and rubato etc in their own playing, problem is as soon as I start telling them what to do with the music I feel like I'm pressing my intepretation style upon them... I want them to do this themselves, but they are just not motivated or do not feel it is necessary to do so    Help??

I'm also finding it a little difficult teaching very young children with concerntration problems, actually I think one of the kids might have a mild ADD disorder.... what can I do to make the lessons more exciting so they are involved in musical activities throughout the lesson? They seem to last forever....

[ludwig]

Changing techniques

Something else I thought I should ask for some advice, I have a few students who changed to me after learning with a couple of other teachers.... Their score reading skills are pretty horrific, and some of their techniques of playing I think need some changes.... How long should I concerntrate on "fixing" the technique, will they get bored with this? Their parents really wanted them to move onto more difficult pieces but it seems impossible with these 2 problems..... Should I encourage them to continue writing the letter names of the notes on their piano scores when their reading skills are bad? I think this is a very big problem and their piano teacher before allow them to do this, but I don't think this is a good idea at all... their sighreading skills are poor consequently Help!?

[whynot]

Great questions!  All the big stuff.  I really wanted to respond to the musicality problem, because for me this was the hardest aspect of playing.  I always had the fingers and the reading, but for most of the time didn't have teachers, so no one ever "called" me on this.  I was very quiet and static with lots of pedal.  It was a conductor I started playing for in recent years who's really into baroque music with a lot of (unnotated) nuance, who made me do all this extra articulation and got me thinking about making different shapes and sounds on my instrument.  This is who helped me the most-- in other styles as well (I was so inspired about music again that I finally started taking lessons with a fantastic pianist-- it's never too late).  I believe that many people who sing and play unmusically, although they sound cold, may not be cold people at all, may in fact have a great deal of feeling for the music but haven't learned how to express those feelings within a musical vocabulary.  Like speaking a language you can get around in a little, wanting to say something really personal or specific and knowing a similar word but not the exact word you need.  Some people know instinctively how to show feeling in music, and others, like me, need to be taught the specific musical gestures-- shapes, articulations, pedaling, better voicing, clearer phrasing, whatever.  My conducting friend isn't a pianist, but was able to explain to me how he makes musical decisions, and he talked me through all my solo pieces for a long time until I got to where I could put it together for myself.  It felt artificial at first, but it trained me in the habit of looking for artistic things to do, and now I do a lot of detail even when sightreading, because it's so ingrained.  So I wanted to encourage you in all you're doing to help your own students with their musicality.  I would bet that the specifics you have to ask for now will become habits as they go along.  And if they end up with your interpretation for now, they have a good model for how music "works"; I think that's fine.  It sounds like you're doing great. 

The issue of transfer students with bad habits is tricky.  I use the repertoire and the next level of playing as the excuse for changes.  If they're breaking a joint, I explain that they can't do that in these new pieces because they won't be able to move quickly enough.  That always hooks them, because everyone wants to play faster, and I didn't have to malign the other teacher.  Or at the next level of playing, we can't write in the note names anymore because there are too many notes now (I look for thick chords or long busy runs to lessen the temptation).  Just my own path through those particular landmines.  For teenagers or particularly bright younger ones, I explain the physiological or artistic reason behind my advice, making no reference to the other teacher, only talking about the goal at hand.

You sound like a great teacher.  Where were you when I was growing up?  Probably not born yet... anyway, best of luck.     

[abell88]

I agree with whynot...I had a teacher who would ask for more expression, never explained why there should be whatever nuances or the physical processes required to make the effects I wanted (by the way, he played beautifully; I think he started so young and was so naturally gifted that he didn't know what to say to someone who didn't do it naturally.) So by all means guide them until they are ready to do it themselves.

About the young kids' concentration...best advice I can give is keep changing activities. For example, look at a new piece; clap its rhythm; get up and walk its beat while clapping the rhythm. Invest in a floor keyboard and grand staff (painted on rugs or old roll-up window blinds); have them practise being line notes/space notes, moving by seconds, thirds, octaves, etc. Walk a stepping up pattern (C D E) on the grand staff, then the floor keyboard, then play it at the piano.

Play "guessing" games with them -- you play a pattern and tell them its starting note (while they look away), then they try to play it (great aural training) -- then let them play for you (you have to give them some rules or they go a little crazy with this.) Echo clapping is also good. Have a sheet with different rhythms (as complex as they can handle) -- you clap one and they have to guess which it was, then they clap for you.

Use tactile materials for rhythm activities...give them popsicles sticks for quarter notes, make half notes and eighths out of pipe cleaners, then make rhythms on the floor or piano bench.

Announce at the beginning of the lesson that the "Note of the Day" is C (or whatever) -- whenever you (and/or the student) say "C" they must jump up (or cheer, or something silly -- it will keep them watching and listening for C). This is also good for sharps/flats -- if they are clapping a piece and saying its letter names, have them jump up for the sharps, or crouch down for the flats.

Invest in a set of cheap rhythm instruments so they can tap the rhythm of their pieces before playing them -- also have them tap while you play the piece.

Hope you find these useful.

[ludwig]

Thanks abell88 and whynot for the good advice and encouragement =) I appreciate them... I have had good teachers in the past and they have both given me suggestions for articulation, phrasing, nuances, unwritten dynamics/accents, and styles of playing, and also at times told me to specifically do this and that.... so this way was good for me because I also needed direction yet wanted to find my own intepretations...I do tell my students that they need to find their own way of playing and have shown them a few things, but over 2 years, they have not felt the need (or embarassed of putting in) musicality in their playing?? (they are teenagers, I find that the younger they are the less embarassed or shy or nervous when it comes to playing, but the older ones get a bit afraid or embarassed, especially at concerts/exams etc)... But yes, so I guess I have to push them a bit further with their musical playing before they get it into their heads, I just want it to be sooner! When they attend exams and comps, their reports say all the good things about giner work, technique etc, but they don't get a great mark because of the lack of style and intepretation...=(


With the young kids though, I'm not sure about getting up and away from the piano, or doing physical activities at the piano i.e clapping, cheering, walking etc... Simply because I have found that doing these exercises made the student concerntrate even less becuase they might have the mild conditions of ADD... They are hyperactive most of the time and would just diverge into another conversation or get too hyped up over the activities that they can't calm back down And I'm talking about absolute beginner who's around 4-5, we've only had a few lessons, he's skills in reading (not music, just text/comprehension) is still in its beginning stages, so we've only covered middle c, and the shape and technique of striking a key....It is difficult to do activities which involves a lot of music at the moment.... troubled