Do you ever jump to conclusions? When a piano parent forgets a check, do you ever feel frustrated with parents in general? When a piano student forgets to practice, do you ever feel frustrated with all students… in general?
If you do, then we have something in common… and I think I can help reduce your stress.
Piano Teaching and The Pareto Principle
In the early 1900’s an Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, observed that 20% of his peapods contained 80% of his peas. Not only this, but he also observed that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. These observations began a chain of real world observations that lead to the Pareto Principle.
Now I could get all mathematical on you, and try to explain the Pareto Principle (and write the world’s longest blog post ever), but I think it’s best we agree that it does exist in the real world; that is… more often than, not 80% of “something” was caused by 20% of “something else”.
Pareto will make your life easier. When problems arise, you no longer have to be concerned that your life as a piano teacher is coming to an end. Just because 1 parent complains, or 1 student doesn’t practice or 1 pianist failed an exam (gasp!), doesn’t mean your entire studio is in a tailspin. Nope, in fact most of these problems are being generated by a mere 20% or less of your piano studio population.
And here’s the best part…
Want to make your piano life easier? Have a look at your piano student list, identify the 20% that generate 80% of your grief, and find proactive, positive ways to deal with their issues.
Thanks Pareto!
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