It has always been the goal of my piano lessons to encourage creativity and give tools for expression. With each lesson being such a short period of time, I find it paramount to have every word said be of value to the mission. That being said, I mindfully chose words that encourages the piano students to listen critically to the sounds their making. The goal is to avoid creating an environment where the student is being judged for their skill. Instead, I want to create a learning environment where the children are actively using the teacher as a resource for new vocabulary, technique, and inspiration.
Recently, it has come to my attention that I am likely one of the few piano players that the students know in their lives. With that knowledge, I become aware that I am their role model in their piano journey.
” From childhood through adulthood, modeling plays a key role in the acquisition and development of cognitive and meta-cognitive skills, fine motor skills, interpersonal skills, and later professional skills ” (Salisu, Ransom, 2014) https://www.scipress.com/ILSHS.32.54.pdf
This means, if I talk the talk, I must also walk the walk.
How do I translate my music studio’s mission from words to modelling it in my actions?
- Admit to making mistakes
I have never claimed to the best piano player (trust me, I’m not!) . I also can not claim to never make any mistakes while performing a piece or improvising. Mistakes, as part of EN Music Studio’s philosphy, is a necessarily step in being creative. Mistakes signify the attempt to try something new; they are to be respected as part of the process. I can model this by openly admitting when I make mistakes and what mistakes I’ve made.
2.Try new teaching methods
The core of inviting someone to be creative is to asking to go outside of their comfort zone and try something new. To model this behaviour, I could try new teaching methods that are not the standard scales/repertoire/studies method. When the inevitable fumbling of trying new ways to teach occurs, the student will see that the environment is set up for both teacher and student to learn together.
3. Sharing my own journey
This one is and will always be the hardest for me, but I believe that is the most important. I have said time and time again, that I myself am still on the journey of creative exploration. I believe that I will be on this journey for as long as I live. Just like any piano student, I encounter frustrating creative blocks and missing technique I may be further along in my journey, but I am also a learner. By sharing pieces of my own journey and creations with the students, I could model that learning is a life-long journey that you can take long-term joy in.
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