“Teachers who love teaching teach children to love learning.”
– Robert John Meehan
Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom
“Teachers who love teaching teach children to love learning.”
– Robert John Meehan
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Hi Joy,
I just finished reading your interesting and thought provoking
blog. (Oct ’18) I enjoyed the cute photos of you. I remember a workshop back a few years ago where the discussion was about a very shy, soft spoken student (boy), and how the teacher might help him play with more confidence, a better tone, and more expressively. One teacher spoke up and said she’d take him out in her backyard and tell him to yell as loud as he could. I thought it was a foolish idea. I would have hated that as a child! What I do with a student like this is tell him, “I’m going to look away from you, your fingers, and the piano, so I can rely on my ear to really hear, and I’d like to see if you can play that section with a bigger tone.” It seems to provide a safety factor and has worked for me. I want my students to play well, but I also want them to feel comfortable. Marylee Morton
Marylee, thanks so much for your comment about that blog post. I appreciate your sensitivity to those students who are shy and soft-spoken, especially since I was definitely one of those when I was younger. I agree, it’s so important for students to feel comfortable. I think it helps them be in the best mind space for learning. Thanks again!