Piano Blog

I Don't Want to Practice Piano

2011-11-17T17:41:53-08:00

"What do I do when my child doesn't want to practice? "

Piano teachers hear this question a lot. I think it implies a more fundamental question: What is the nature of a child's wants and desires?

The answer to this question can lead to two different parenting approaches: One approach holds that every moment and decision of a child's day must be scheduled and controlled. The other approach says that a child should be allowed to do however he or she feels on the whim of the moment.

I disagree with both approaches, because I think they both deny the fundamental nature of what a child is. A child is a potential adult, but not a fully formed adult. A child is in the process of forming values, learning his or her likes and dislikes, and forming a full psychology.

So what does this mean?

A child's values and psychology aren't completely formed. This means that a child's decisions and emotions will often be at variance with his long-term self interest. For example, a child might want to eat sweets and candy all day. Or she might love the piano but not feel like practicing because it requires too much effort. In such cases, the parent is obligated to reduce the number of sweets, or encourage or even mandate practice.

On the other hand, a child's values and psychology aren't completely plastic. Although he isn't an adult, he does have some nascent values and psychology. To deny this fact, or thwart early attempts at self-discovery is to invite serious problems down the road.

For example, if a child has a clear preference for drawing or some other activity, and yet you deny this in favor of hours of daily piano practice, you're heading for disaster. In a case such as this, an "I don't want to practice" isn't an out of context whim, but rather the correct response to a value contradiction imposed from the outside.

The answer then to "What do I do if my child doesn't want to practice?" is: "It depends." If your child has other interests, and has had piano imposed from the beginning, you should consider letting her explore. If your child enjoys practicing in general but needs a day off, then let her chill out. If your child loves music but won't practice because of the effort involved, it could be time to find some creative motivation or be a strict parent. If your child doesn't want to do anything, it might be time to look for someone more qualified than a piano teacher for advice.

Aristotle Agrees

2011-10-30T22:11:34-07:00

Regarding my last post on repetition, it's good to know that even Aristotle agrees with me:

"It is from the same causes and by the same means that every excellence is both produced and destroyed, and similarly every art; for it is from playing the lyre that both good and bad lyre-players are produced. . . if this were not so, there would have been no need of a teacher, but all men would have been born good or bad at their craft."*

So, says Aristotle, if you want to be good at the lyre, or um. . . piano, you can't just goof around. The good and bad pianist both practice the piano (hopefully) but some of them become excellent, and some don't. The excellent people make a habit of it by repeating the right things over and over again.*

Thanks Aristotle.

*Nichomachean Ethics 1103b10. My edition is the W.D. Ross Translation.

*There's more expicit stuff about repitition in his later sections on excellence. But that's the subject of a future post.

Keep it Simple

2011-10-26T16:01:19-07:00

Playing a musical instrument is a complex task. Almost anyone could practice on a daily basis. But without guidance, there's a good chance this practice won't be beneficial in the long run.

When a child learns to walk, for instance, he gets immediate feedback as to whether he's doing something incorrectly. (That is, he falls down.) But often the feedback you get with a musical instrument isn't so easily interpreted. You might play the right notes in the correct order but at the same time use your muscles or your mind in a way that hinders progress down the road.

But let's assume you're getting good guidance and the technical elements are more or less in place. There's an unavoidable fundamental to playing: automatization. You simply don't have a choice but to make the physical elements of playing automatic.

What does this mean? Repetition.

The devil is in the details. They are important. But don't lose sight of the foundation of good practice. To become truly facile, you have to move to the level of the automatic. Watch any number of great musicians over time and you'll observe this simple common denominator: tireless, intelligent, repetition of the music.

Don't let details bog you down and sap your motivation. Keep it simple, over and over again.

Music Studio How-To

2011-10-23T21:05:13-07:00

Now for some shameless self-promotion!

Over the last few years, I've been asked the same question over and over: How do I get started in my own teaching business?

I can really empathise with this question. I know firsthand how hard it is to start a music studio.

Are you like me when I started teaching?

I had zero students, nowhere to teach from, zero income (but lots of debt), no prospective students and no idea how to start.

It was a long road that took me where I am today: I can't keep up with student requests. I get to set my own hours, control my vacation time. I don't have to put up with a nagging boss or coworkers. And best of all I don't have to deal with rush-hour traffic because I work from the comfort of my home!

Not too shabby.

So then what is the answer? How do you start a music studio?

I've earned my fair share of free dinners trying to answer this question. The truth is: its a BIG subject. Way to much to cover in one evening. And way too much to cover in this blog post. So I I won't try.

I'll do something better.

For free, and with zero obligation, you are invited to join my Piano Studio Handbook list. This group is for those serious about starting a successful and fulfilling teaching business.

I'll use this list to send out *in depth* information for music teachers that I wouldn't post in normal pianoblog posts.

There's zero obligation to signup, and you'll receive answers to your questions like:

How do I get students? - Where do I start teaching? - How do I handle my first lessons?

Emails will be packed with answers to any question you can think to ask. And I HOPE that by helping you, I can save you the many years of trial and error that I went through to build up my teaching practice.

If at any time you decide you want to stop getting tips from me, un-subscribing is simple and I *don't ever* share contact info from any pianoblog readers with outside sources.

If you're really serious about getting started the right way, sign up below!

PS - If you're reading this in your blog reader and don't see a signup form above - just visit the actual post!

Things Mean Piano Teachers do Just to Be Mean

2011-10-19T21:19:33-07:00

Why am I such a mean teacher?

One of my favorite things to do is have my students transpose small pieces and exercises into different keys. This is usually met with a fair amount of resistance. But, I insist, it is one of the BEST ways of really understanding the keyboard. I always say: you want to be able to play in more than one key don't you?

In fact, all my children learn their 5 finger positions ASAP so they can move a simple piece to every major and minor hand position on the keyboard.

Quick break.

I finally made it back to the gym today. I could have done a bunch of isolation exercises on my legs. (These are exercises that work very specific muscles.) Instead of did a few sets of squats. For those of you who don't go to the gym: squats suck. They work about every muscle in your body at the same time. Afterwards you feel like you want to die. BUT they're awesome. You work everything and you get HUGE. (No, I am not a big muscle man.)

Back to piano.

Here's why I brought up squatting. Transposing is like the squat of the piano. (Or maybe the deadlift.) If you select a couple measures with some smarts, you can work your technique, your ear, your understanding of theory, and your musicality. All at the same time.

As they say at the gym: crush it.

Piano Practice and Exercise - Similarities

2011-10-17T12:32:15-07:00

There are no quick worthwhile results.

Extreme amounts of repetition are necessary.

Poor execution causes more harm than good.

A stupid approach means years of frustration and wasted time.

Each session is best planned in advance.

Showing off is detrimental to real progress.

More time is spent worrying than doing.

New Old Anton Nel Videos

2011-06-15T19:38:08-07:00

I know that many of my readers are fans of the pianist Anton Nel. Two recent videos of him from his childhood in South Africa were just added to youtube. Enjoy!

Mastery - A Prerequisite

2011-06-12T23:36:40-07:00

I promised a post on mastery tonight, but I probably shouldn't write it. Instead here is my best try at getting out of said promise. (Don't worry I'm still writing one!) George Leonard's master is someone almost serene; focused on the flow of ritual and practice. Tonight, this is not me.

Rather than explain [read: make excuses for] my crankiness, I'd rather divert your attention to a helpful tip for when you're feeling overwhelmed. I first read this technique in the books of David Allen (of GTD fame), but have since seen it elsewhere. This is a great way to clear your mind, so think of this as a "prerequisite" to the Mastery post. You'll be surprised by this exercise if you haven't tried it.

Here it is: Write everything down.

Literally, take a piece of paper, and write everything down that you can think of. Things to do, worries, chores, future project ideas, whatever comes into your mind. When I first did this, I got around 100 things, which I hear is pretty standard. It's amazing how much stuff is just sitting around up there; tasks and issues that are left as question marks. As David Allen teaches, all this "stuff" bogs us down because our mind doesn't know how to deal with it. It sits at the periphery of awareness, causing stress and anxiety. Once you write it down you can make lists, figure out how to take action, or decide its not important, etc. But first, get it OUT of your head.

This exercise is simply but amazingly effective. The first time I did it, I felt a sense of control I hadn't had in months or even years.

I'm off to write everything down.

Mastery - Part I

2011-06-10T16:31:40-07:00

I'm currently re-reading an excellent little book by George Leonard called Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment. I've read it several times now and have a few short posts coming up on it. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning any craft, skill,art -- or learning anything at all.

In his book, Leonard talks about 3 personality types or learning habits: The Dabbler, The Obsessive, and The Hacker.

The Dabbler starts each pursuit with extreme energy, but soon dwindles out. The process of getting started is addictive, until the new quickly becomes the old.

The Obsessive lives for constant results. Like the dabbler, the obsessive starts out strong, but does not give up so easily. In fact, the obsessive is unable to accept anything but constant progress at all costs, often at the expensive of long-term results. The dabbler quits out of boredom, the obsessive quits out of burnout.

The Hacker gets the hang out things but thats about it. For him, there isn't much use in doing more than good enough. The goal for the hacker isn't to master an art, it's to get by and maybe be part of the clique.

I see these personality types all the time in both my teaching and my personal life. (Of course you can have different approaches to different areas of your life.) However, as far as Mastery is concerned, each of these types falls short. In contrast to these three types, Leonard discusses "The Master's Journey", which will be the subject of Sunday's post!

Tchaikovsky Competition

2011-06-04T15:31:54-07:00

Streaming soon to a browser near you:

http://www.tchaikovsky-competition.com/en

This is one of the most exciting piano competitions in the world! Watch it online starting June 15th.