At a piano lesson this week, I observed my student grow increasingly frustrated with herself whenever she made a mistake. She would “growl” at herself and start back at the beginning of the phrase.
After observing this continue for a few moments, I decided to stop her and address the issue.
There were three reasons why I decided to address this issue:
- She was growing increasingly frustrated with herself. And frustration doesn’t usually yield positive results.
- I could tell this was becoming a habitual response. When she is practicing at home, she is obviously doing the same thing there.
- We were sight-reading. She had never seen this piece before, and there was no reason that she should expect to play it perfectly upon first try. She is only 7, and hasn’t had much experience with sight-reading yet anyway.
Continue reading “Dealing with Frustration: Be Okay with Mistakes & Keep it Fun!”