Patience Is A Virtue (in teaching piano)

We all get impatient sometimes, and piano teachers are no exception. But patience with your students - especially the "youngins" is essential. Young children can sometimes be their own worst critics. And remember, their little egos are still developing. How child feels about him or herself will have a direct result on how well the do in learning the piano.

Therefore, it is important to give regular praise to your students. And when they don't do as well, the trick, I think, is to correct them gently, without chipping their self-esteem.

This can be difficult for some of us as teachers. Many of us ourselves had very stern, strict, uncompromising teachers. Nothing ever seemed good enough, and they took very little interest in our feelings. So naturally, those of us who had teachers like that may have a predisposition to treat our own students in the same way.

But think about how this made you feel. Then, ask yourself whether you want your students to feel this way.

I always try to reinforce to people that teaching piano is not just about getting the notes right. Piano study is about much more: building self-esteem, developing muscle coordination, learning new languages, sharpening math skills All of these are benefits of piano instruction.

The moral: Don't get so caught up in prodding your students to "get it right" that you forget these other important aspects of music instruction.

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Gnosis Arts | www.gnosisarts.com