| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/15/2008 6:35:22 PM | | I've been teaching piano for just over 4 years. I haven't had too many problems with my students not practicing...until this year. I kind of expect that from my younger students, but not from my adult students as well. What can I do that would make them want to practice? What kind of incentive(s) do you think would work? I just don't know what to do. Some of my students have been on the same songs for a month and haven't made much progress. | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/15/2008 7:09:07 PM | | If only u was in the UK, I am looking to start some piano lesson, but havnt really motivated myself | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/15/2008 7:25:42 PM | I took piano and organ lessons for years, as my youngest daughter (22) says, back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth. I didn't want to take them, but my mother made me. Therefore, she had to stand over me with a board every day to make me practice. I was totally unmotivated. I never did learn how to read those bass clef notes!
I've been somewhat of a musician all my life. Played nearly every instrument in band all the way through high school. I've owned electronic keyboards for years and have even written some music. Hard to write music when you can't read it well (the left hand anyway), but I struggle and it works OK.
Until 2 years ago I never had time for other lessons. Life intervened, as it is intended to do. Now that I'm alone for the first time in my life, I've got tons of time on my hands and am thinking about taking up banjo and guitar. I've even got 2 accordions.
I think with adults it's probably life and motivation that keeps them from practicing. Personally, if, as an adult, I now find the motivation to begin lessons like that, I'm going to be motivated to continue with them and practice. But sometimes it's hard to maintain that motivation.
If your adult students are happy with the progress they're making, then I'd say just be happy for them. I know how frustrating it is when a "student" doesn't make the progress you'd like them to, but their feelings about it are all that really matter. | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/16/2008 4:47:36 AM | | There's nothing you can do to "make" them want to practice, especially the adults. Just be happy getting your checks for lessons, and if they didn't practice then you can repeat the lesson next time and let them keep throwing money at you. | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/16/2008 5:46:41 AM |
What can I do that would make them want to practice?
For six years, my first piano teacher would whack my fingers with a ruler whenever I hesitated or hit a wrong note...and that always made me practice extra. | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/16/2008 8:30:45 AM | Sex
Drugs
Money
Fear
Cookies
Those are the motivators I know about. One should match your situation. | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/16/2008 8:48:40 AM | I do realize that with my adult students life gets in the way. I'm more concerned about my younger students. As of right now they get a piece of candy after the lesson. I've thought about buying them a kids meal or something similar if they've practiced and did their Notespeller for a month.
I have thought many times, well at least I'm getting paid. It's their money to spend. I just hate having them keep doing the same songs over and over becuase I know they are tired of them. But at the same time I can't let them move on to another song until they are proficient on the songs they already have.
I would NEVER use a ruler or anything to smack/hit their hands. I've heard of teachers smacking their students hands or hitting them or something, and that's something I could never do.
I have used cookies for one lesson because they were left over from a pot luck at school. | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/16/2008 9:04:58 AM | | Can there be a selection of similar songs for them to choose among for each stage of development, so that if one is boring they can switch to a new one and still learn what is needed at that stage? That way you avoid the problem of prolonging the drudgery of playing music they don't like, that has become a chore, and you offer them a choice, which gives them a sense of control and freedom, possibly making it easier to see music as an adventure they can enjoy and not as a task they must perform. Each kid has something that already motivates them, and so if you can hook into that and incorporate it into their lessons, you have nature on your side. Let them have a goal that they want and then some choice in the approach towards it. Can they bring music they like and learn to play parts of it? Then they can relate their own personal joy with the skill of playing music. They can make for themselves the magic that in another context already thrills and motivates them. | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/16/2008 11:35:47 AM | I was learning the piano many many yrs ago, most of my friends didn't want to know, it wasn't seen as the 'in' thing to do , so eventually I gave up, as it seemed more fun being out and about with my friends at the time..  | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/16/2008 1:11:48 PM | | Have you asked your adult students how much they are practising? Sometimes adults think that they should learn quicker than a child so don't practise as much as they should. Setting a time frame for how long it should take to learn a new song might work. If your adult students never took music as a child it can actually be harder for them to learn. I played several different instruments when I was younger, so when I took up the violin when I was in my late 30s I learned quite quickly, but, other adult students really struggled with even the simplest concept. There is one woman, who has taken lessons for twice as long as me, and I could just strangle her if I have sit anywhere near her when she's playing. She has no sense of rhythm or intonation, and pays no attention to technique at all, but there is a nine year old girl who easily outplays her after just six months of lessons. Older adults sometimes find that they just don't have the speed or dexterity needed, either, so in the end they just aren't capable of progressing past a certain point. | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/16/2008 8:46:26 PM | For the kids...talk to the parents. For the adults...talk to them. Tell them all this:
'I love teaching your child piano. But, I'm starting to feel like you are wasting your money. We've been doing the same song for a month with very little progress. If Little Jimmy isn't going to practice at home, then it makes it hard to continue teaching him'
I've played piano for 18 years. And yeah, I got to a point where I didn't want to practice and that's pretty much what my teacher told my mom. My problem was that I didn't like the songs. I wanted to play Guns -n- Roses and she wanted me to play Mozart. Once she let me pick the style of music I wanted to play...practicing was not a problem!!
~Welder's Girl~ | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/16/2008 9:34:08 PM | I use the John Thompson method piano books. That's what I was used when I took piano lessons. I've tried some other books, but haven't liked those as much. I hadn't thought about incorporating other music selections that they would like better. I think I'll try that.
I know one adult student doesn't really practice. Each week she'll tell me "oh, I didn't get to practice much" or "I forgot about that one."
I've thought about using practice sheets to log practice time. I'll probably give that a try with my new students and with my returning students in the fall. | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/19/2008 8:55:49 PM | | The greatest motivator is desire or enthusiasm. If a student wants to learn, then that student will put forth great effort to learn. Parents should take note of this fact. They can't make a child take piano lessons...as time passes, the child will either want to continue with the lessons or not. It might be helpful if the instructor gave the student some options on what songs they want to learn if the student wishes to continue with lessons. | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/20/2008 1:46:50 AM | I think if you taught them the songs they like to listen to would help but you're probably teaching them songs for improving on the basic fundamentals that they're going to need and the songs they like are probably too complex if they are novices. Maybe a happy medium such as maybe finding out their favorite songs and maybe teach a maybe simplified version.
Maybe. | |
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| Piano lessons
Posted: 5/20/2008 2:40:40 AM | I found that I became more inspired when I listened to other people play.
Perhaps you should play them recordings of Horowitz or Rubinstein and discuss with them their different techniques and the sounds they produce.
I also practiced more when I had real songs to learn rather than the usual exercises in books. Many of the Chopin preludes or Beethoven sonatas are very easy and would inspire students to try other pieces of successive difficulty.
Try organizing informal recitals for your students and have the parents show up to hear all your students play. All the students get to play one song each for the group. | |
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