This post is a preview from my soon-to-be-published book “Practiced Stories.” I have compiled stories of my teaching and my real-life students. I share our struggles, challenges, and triumphs. (All the stories in the book are true, although of course names and details have been changed.)
Here is one of the stories
The Gifted Piano Student
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” Plutarch
I believe all people are smart. All of us are gifted. All of us. So I kind of dislike designations (aka labels) like gifted, talented, etc. But in actuality, everyone learns differently. As a teacher, I have to notice this and adjust. I have come to believe that ‘gifted students’ also have special needs.
Amber
Amber was eleven years old and was in the gifted program at school. She was a quiet student who started out doing well with her lessons. But as the year progressed, she seemed unhappy, frustrated and stopped practicing.
I knew I had to figure out why she was falling off the ‘piano wagon’. I tried everything I could think of. I asked her if she could play well without practicing, if she wanted to, and she said yes. I gave her some new music and tried to inspire her by showing her exciting videos of pianists. But she still seemed like she was giving up.
“Amber, I notice you seem kind of blah about the piano lately. Can we talk about that?”
“I’m not good at it,” Amber replied.
“Why do you say that?” I asked
“At school, I am good at things like math and reading. Those things are easy. The piano is hard; it’s always hard. That’s why I know I’m not good at it.” She said.
“Oh.” I had to think about that for a minute. But then an idea came to me.
“Well, Amber, I think at school you’re learning with a whole bunch of kids. You all do the same work together. It might be easier for you than for some others in the class, which makes you feel like you are good at it. Am I correct?
“Yes.”
“Here it’s just you and me. If you learn a piece, I take you to the next level so it’s always challenging. I can see how that has you feeling like you aren’t doing well.”
“That’s what I think.” Amber replied.
This helped me to consider something I had never considered before. Having been a classroom teacher myself, I know that teaching to a class takes a very different approach to teaching a one-on-one lesson. When I was in the classroom, I more or less ended up teaching to the middle of the room. Some students needed a little extra help; others breezed through the work assigned to the class.
Sometimes kids taking piano lessons are used to the work in school being easy to get through. In a private lesson, as soon as my students ‘get it ’ I have them move on to something more challenging. For some students this works well; for others, like Amber, not so much.
Amber and students like her can feel like they’re failing when things feel hard. The belief that if things are easy for me, I am good at them prevails. Therefore, if I have to work hard, something must be wrong. There is also the fact that it can be a challenge to really have to work at something when one is used to things coming easily.
I let Amber know that she was doing just fine. I explained the difference between classroom learning and private lessons.
“When you reach a certain level in your playing, it’s my job to take you to the next level,” I told her. “That does not mean you aren’t good at playing the piano; actually, it means that you are doing well.”
“If playing the piano were easy, almost everyone would do it,” I said. “It’s not for the faint of heart; you have to be tough, patient, and tenacious,” I told her
“Tenacious?”
“Yep, that means we don’t give up.”
“I don’t give up,” Amber said with a smile.
We went back to work. I decided to assign Amber an additional easier piece. Something that would serve as a ‘quick win’.
When I took Suzuki teacher training. I would notice that there would be occasional pieces in the level that seemed easier than previous pieces. When I asked about it, I was told those pieces were placed there intentionally for ‘psychological relief.’ Dr. Suzuki and his piano teacher colleague Dr. Kataoka, believed that continually assigning more and more difficult repertoire could be exhausting and discouraging.
I think this is true for most students. And then, of course, there are students like Dominic.
Tips and Takeaways
- Every student is gifted. Every single one is good at something and struggles with something. I accept my students for who they are and work with them. Focus on the positives; remediate the negatives.
- Believe that every person can learn. Because everyone can learn something and improve.
- Highly intelligent students have unique needs and considerations. Being gifted is a special need. I need to adjust to these special students.
- There is always something new to learn as a teacher.
- Take time to talk to your students and find solutions to problems. People do better when they have a voice about what is going on. This includes children as well as adults.
- Some students like challenges and want more difficult music. Everyone is unique; what works for one student may not work for another.
- Have the highest possible standards for students, but be reasonable. Piano lessons are not the center of everyone’s life. I accept this. If parents and students are happy with the progress being made, I am usually ok with it too.
- Help students and parents see themselves as successful. Feeling successful leads to being successful.
- While it is important to assign music that challenges, it is also valuable to assign music that provides a ‘quick win’ from time to time.
- Give genuine praise freely. People can tell the difference between a real compliment and a fake one. I want my students and parents to trust me, so I need to tell the truth. That being said, I try to keep things as positive as possible.
- Be open and honest with students and families.
- Talk to students, explain what you are asking for and why you are asking for it. Even younger students respond well to having things presented to them in a logical way.
- Praise a student’s enthusiasm. It’s wonderful to be excited about doing something. Even if it seems unrealistic, I am happy when a student shares my love of music.
- Be patient when students become frustrated; learning to play the piano is a huge undertaking.
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