As a former piano student, I remember often contemplating when I can move on from a piece. In my mind, I was playing it perfect! Why was my teacher so adamant about having me repeat the same song week after week? I struggle with this same concept as a piano teacher now. As teachers, we have to balance keeping students’ interest up, as well as correcting technical errors. What do I do when the student has lost interest in the piece, when the technical errors haven’t been fixed yet? On the note of persistence, there has been many challenging pieces I wanted to give up on in my past. Those same pieces became my favourite pieces when I pushed through the difficult technical challenges. I emerged with stronger technique, and an understanding that I can achieve more than I believe I could. However, in my case, I had a strong passion for music which helped carry me through the hard times. For a student who may just be discovering their musicality, forcing perfection in a piece may be detrimental. Here are some alternate suggestions Isolate technical issues
- Is it a rhythm issue? Is it a fingering issue? Solve and practice issues outside the context of the piece to seem less repetitive.
Make edits
- Make appropriate changes so the student can enjoy the song again. If they enjoy the song and can hear it as a whole, they may be more interested in fixing the issue.
Play recordings during home practice
- Many frustrating issues is because students do not hear it correctly in their head. Repeated input throughout the week will help with this.
Move on and come back later
- These technical challenges will arise in a different song. Sometimes a “change of scenery” is all that it takes. Many students return to a song later and realize their own mistakes.
Take Piano lessons with Mr. Eric Learn More about Piano Lessons Eric Ng (B.Mus, A.R.C.T , ECE ) is a piano teacher based in Richmond, B.C. Mr. Eric has taught in a variety of early childhood education styles, including Reggio-inspired, Montessori, Play-based, and Outdoor-based settings. Along with his formal classical music training from the RCM curriculum and the University of Victoria, Mr. Eric brings a unique perspective to teaching music to young children today.
