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The Benefits of Learning at the Teacher’s Studio

Most of the time, people would prefer their teacher to come to them. Yes, it’s certainly more convenient for you! However, the professional teacher will almost always ask you come to her because

  • Her studio is where she has all the materials at hand for you.
  • You will have a conducive learning environment with proper lesson time that helps you to concentrate better.
  • There will be no disruptions and disturbance from TV, PC, siblings, parents or kids and you will have a more serious attitude towards learning music.
  • You start lessons with a more expectant and ready mood since the teacher does not have to wait for you to settle down from your nap, games or TV.
  • You have Music School Studio facilities with extended flexibilities of private lessons. 🙂


Tips for Adult Students

Most adult students are taking lessons because they want to enrich their lives, attain a personal goal, or perhaps fulfill a long-held dream. A lot of students do it for rest, relaxation and therapy from a stressful job. The result is that most adult students are highly motivated to learn. Your teacher should function in the role of a guide and support system as you discover which form of learning is best for you, and which music you might enjoy playing.

The most important tip for adult students is to be patient with yourself. Give yourself the time to learn things and don’t get too frustrated if these skills do not come as fast as the kid’s do. The finger coordination is not that of 5 yr. olds and it will take a bit longer for this to settle in. Most particularly, don’t expect to learn as fast as your 7 year old child; that expectation is unrealistic. Your advantage is the maturity to focus well on the task at hand and really to understand the musical language of the piece you are playing. Hence, chances are you will enjoy it more, even if your technique is slower to develop.

My advice to adults for practice techniques is much the same as that we would give for children. Here, you have an advantage in that you are probably more focused and motivated than the average child student. It’s best to try to practice when the kids are not around, so that you avoid interruption.

Learning to play piano is more than just playing the notes. There can be no better way to begin to speak to “language of music”, as opposed simply to knowing the vocabulary, than to immerse yourself in it. If you are working on a piece, try to listen to a recording of it. You will gain the benefit of the understanding of a professional musician, as well as develop additional insight into how you perceive and might play the music. It is much easier to develop a feel for the music when you don’t have to worry about playing all the notes correctly.

This article is taken from http://pianoeducation.org/pnotlife.html#Adult

My Teaching Style for Beginners

Teaching beginners are the most important and challenging tasks. It is when they learn the most basic and build strong foundation for the intermediate and advance courses.

Praise

Praise right notes and correct rhythms.

Compliment the student on successful accomplishment of each goal, no matter how small.

An Opportunity to Make Decisions

Beginners need to be heard. This motivates them to work hard.

  • Give them a voice in selecting music to play.
  • Let them formulate their weekly goals.
  • Encourage them to enumerate the practice tasks they’ll carry out at home in order to reach those goals.

Plenty of Repetition

Beginners nearly always need more repetition than we teachers suppose. Rather than ask, “Do you understand this?” I ask my beginners: “On a scale of one to ten, where ten is water and one is mud, how clear is this?” We go over (and over) the concept or difficulty until the student announces he is at least at 8.5 or 9. Sometimes it is helpful also to inquire: “Do you know what you’re supposed to do even if your fingers won’t do it yet?” This helps the beginning student differentiate between understanding and proficiency, which are two different things. Sometimes the mind knows what to do, but the fingers just will not coordinate yet and it takes time to practice.

Help in Organization and Time Management

Nearly all beginners need help in these two areas. Setting a practice time at home is one thing to suggest. Setting up the assignment in an orderly way is another. I will always put the same thing first (such as technique) and ask my student to follow the order as I write it; this helps him establish a routine.

Help in Practice Techniques

Beginners need help in learning to practice at home. I will show them the way to pinpoint trouble spots and what to do with them. I will also show them how to integrate the newly-repaired section into the piece.

Fun!

Beginners need fun! Lots of giggles and smiles and anticipation of lessons.

If beginners think that playing the keyboard is a satisfying activity, they’ll keep at it and become more confident in their newly acquired skill.