“In every job that must be done there is an element of fun.”
–Mary Poppins
P.S.: I recently made a short video discussing the quote from last time: “A fiery, good beginner always stands higher than a master in mediocrity.” —Robert Schumann.” Click here to watch it, and please let me know if you’d like me to consider making more of this kind of video!
Published by Joy Morin
Joy Morin, MM, is a teacher, pianist, composer, speaker, and writer of a blog at ColorInMyPiano.com. A devoted teacher and lifelong learner, she teaches students of all ages at her independent piano studio near Ann Arbor, Michigan. Joy is a frequent attendee and presenter at conferences and workshops, and enjoys connecting with fellow piano teachers through her blog and beyond.
View all posts by Joy Morin
4 thoughts on “Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom”
Enjoyed your short, but interesting, comments here Joy. Sometimes we so want our pupils to progress that we overlook the fact that it is okay to remain at a level in order to enjoy the music, the achievements, and the simple beauty of our art and to fill in the “colour” of that art.
One challenge I’ve had is that students will not be satisfied with being asked to work on “developmentally appropriate” pieces because either their parents or they themselves feel it’s “too easy” for them – even though it’s not. So there is a lot of pushback regarding curriculum choices. It’s not as simple as having a talk, either, to remedy this.
Also, I’ve had students (usually teenagers) who swear that what they just played for me sounded good even though it did not. People in general are perfectly able to delude themselves, harsh as that may sound. Teachers in general can only lead them so much. It’s up to the individual to decide they want to incorporate the feedback or not.
These are very real issues, MK. No, it’s not as if a talk will automatically solve the issue, but I do find that having a conversation with students where I share the reasons behind why I have given them the “easy” pieces goes a long way. In turn, I listen to students express their reactions, and from there we can hopefully come to some sort of agreement.
Yes, if a student is closed to feedback or learning, the student won’t be impacted. But I don’t think the teacher’s hands are tied here. We can impact our students not just musically, but as a personally. I think the key here is not to try to force the student to be open to feedback, but rather to help the student open themselves to feedback. This is a process that sometimes takes time. Sometimes, tools such as audio recording or video is useful. Sometimes, exposing the student to hearing other students performing is useful.
Enjoyed your short, but interesting, comments here Joy. Sometimes we so want our pupils to progress that we overlook the fact that it is okay to remain at a level in order to enjoy the music, the achievements, and the simple beauty of our art and to fill in the “colour” of that art.
Beautifully stated, Margaret!
One challenge I’ve had is that students will not be satisfied with being asked to work on “developmentally appropriate” pieces because either their parents or they themselves feel it’s “too easy” for them – even though it’s not. So there is a lot of pushback regarding curriculum choices. It’s not as simple as having a talk, either, to remedy this.
Also, I’ve had students (usually teenagers) who swear that what they just played for me sounded good even though it did not. People in general are perfectly able to delude themselves, harsh as that may sound. Teachers in general can only lead them so much. It’s up to the individual to decide they want to incorporate the feedback or not.
These are very real issues, MK. No, it’s not as if a talk will automatically solve the issue, but I do find that having a conversation with students where I share the reasons behind why I have given them the “easy” pieces goes a long way. In turn, I listen to students express their reactions, and from there we can hopefully come to some sort of agreement.
Yes, if a student is closed to feedback or learning, the student won’t be impacted. But I don’t think the teacher’s hands are tied here. We can impact our students not just musically, but as a personally. I think the key here is not to try to force the student to be open to feedback, but rather to help the student open themselves to feedback. This is a process that sometimes takes time. Sometimes, tools such as audio recording or video is useful. Sometimes, exposing the student to hearing other students performing is useful.
Just some ramblings! Thanks for the comment!