Behavior Patterns

You'll notice, if you've taught piano long enough, that certain children fall into repeating patterns, some of which are not conducive to learning.

It may be the time of day that bothers the child. It might be not getting a snack. It might be that their oral report did not go well and they are in a foul mood, or some such part of daily life.

Some children excel at piano because of their personality. A child who is calm and pleasant is far easier to inspire than a child who is having problems with many things, some trivial and some not.

What you must do is gauge that child's mood with your ten-foot-long thermometer and decide immediately how much piano learning that child can take today. And determine as well what type of work might be profitably attempted.

For example, reading music is very exhausting for children, and you can easily reduce even a diligent child to near-catatonia if you go too long with it.

There are times when a child is simply exhausted, distraught and not in a mood for piano.
In that extreme case, I declare it a "game day," and find ways to make progress, using games that disguise the serious nature of learning music.

If you can play well, consider just sitting and playing for them. I like to play very short sections of famous piano pieces and ask the child what they think. They will give you their impressions, like "pirates," or "ballerinas" or perhaps they will have no perception they can express. Don't force them to offer observations, but offer them the opportunity.

There are other games, such as ear training games, counting games, and theatrical games.

My silliest theatrical game is called "Beethoven's Bicycle," in which I ask nonsensical questions about Beethoven, such as, "What color was Beethoven's bicycle?" The answer of course is that Beethoven didn't have a bicycle. Try feeling glum when someone plays that game with you!

What is the point of such a silly game? If the child is distraught and not really able to play piano that day, it will relax them and let them know that you sense their mood. The next lesson, they will be more willing to listen to you, if they are not in the same mood.

I've seen piano teachers destroy a relationship with a child because the teacher ignored the child's mood and insisted that a certain amount of progress must be made that day.

You have to be reasonable and treat the teacher-student relationship as more of a partnership than an absolute monarchy in which the teacher is king.

Listen to your student's moods and you will get more out of them, and they will get more out of their piano lessons.

By John Aschenbrenner Copyright 2000 Walden Pond Press. Visit http://www.pianoiseasy.com/ to see the fun PIANO BY NUMBER method for kids.