Before I begin this week’s TeachPianoToday Q&A, I would like to thank everyone who submitted a piano teaching question and participated in the chance to win either…
1. The Adventures of Fearless Fortissimo (Piano Music For Boys) OR
2. Piano Hands Shouldn’t Flip Burgers
The 3 winners in the random draw are Noel, Cindy and Janet (I’ve sent each of you an email indicating how you can claim your prize).
Now For Today’s Question:
Should a teacher make a student learn classical piano if they do not want to learn that style?
This is a great question, and one that I think is really important to consider for all of your piano students … even those who are not vocal about their preferences. In order to truly develop piano lessons based on each student’s individual needs (a goal every piano teacher should have) you need to examine exactly why each student is taking lessons.
It’s easy to slip into the mindset of teaching piano the way we ourselves were taught. For most of us, this is a foundation based almost entirely on classical music. However, the approach to piano lessons today is changing. Students who want to learn to play the piano simply for their own personal enjoyment are signing up for lessons more and more frequently; often with no musical background, no previous exposure to classical music other than from TV commercials, and the desire to play what is immediately relevant to them. It is up to us as modern piano teachers to deliver a program that meets their needs … and not fall back on a “cookie cutter” approach where all students learn the same repertoire. Not all piano students have their sights set on the concert stage. Not all students connect with classical music.
Opening Your Students’ Minds to Classical Music
If your piano student has said “no thanks” to classical music then it’s an opportunity to stretch your teaching skills and deliver a piano program that teaches the skills and technique that classical music develops, but uses repertoire that appeals to your student’s tastes. The piano is an extremely versatile instrument – and you will become an extremely versatile teacher if you open yourself up to teaching a variety of styles.
From my personal experience, if you can engage a student with music that they feel is relevant, and build their skills on the piano using material that excites them, then you often open the door to classical music in a way that makes it approachable to those who might not have ever considered classical repertoire to begin with.
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Nikkol says
My students know that they have opportunities to learn different styles of music, but they also know at some point during the year they will learn a new classical piece and actually do it with some enthusiasm. Although I have one student that at first was very reluctant to play any classical, until I gave her 3 choices, I played those choices, and she liked all 3. 🙂 She even admitted she didn’t think classical music was “cool” but loved how I played it expressively, with all these ‘cool’ dynamics.
Andrea says
Hi Nikkol,
You are so right! If we can first “hook” students on the piano, then we can work on hooking them on classical repertoire. If we force it on them then we run the risk of having them lose interest in the piano all together. The “cool” factor is big for teenagers…i’ve used a lot of “cross-over” pieces like A River Runs In You by Yiruma to bridge this gap between pop and classical, and because it has both modern and classical aspects to it the teens just love it.
Erin says
I’m sorry but I do believe that you should teach classical music. I always inject at least one piece every three weeks. I feel that if you don’t include it in your teaching repertoire, the student will miss out on some amazing opportunities to learn important styles, and amazing pieces in general. I do teach all types of music to my students and like to let them play “fun” songs ( usually “pop”) of their choosing…..but usually by the time we are at a point where I can safely teach them classical music, I have built up a trust with them and they are willing to “do it” for me
That’s just my humble opinion
Erin
Andrea says
Hi Erin,
Thanks so much for commenting. We are, actually, in agreement! I’ve always believed that classical music is an important part of piano instruction. I’ve found with my own students that those who say they don’t want to play classical music usually are simply not familiar with it and therefore don’t have an appreciation for it. As their piano teacher, we’re in the fantastic position of being able to be the ones to introduce that to them…but I think that by “making” them play classical music (as the person who asked the question mentioned) we risk losing that opportunity. If we can approach lessons in a way that maintains their interest, then we can encourage that appreciation and give them the exposure to classical music that they’ve been lacking. It sounds like you’re doing just that with your own students! In fostering this trust, as you mention, then we will be much more successful in doing so than by forcing only classical repertoire on them. Happy teaching 🙂
Cameron says
I guess my question is – why is playing classical music always the end goal for our students? I have heard a lot of piano teachers say that it is more difficult or can teach concepts better than other kinds of music. And there is some truth to that. But i think that at least in the early years, we can find other styles to teach the concepts we want to teach just as well. I suppose my philosophy to teaching is that we should prepare students for what they will need piano for in the world – which could mean personal enjoyment or making a career out of it, but in today’s world they need to know more than classical music. They need to know how to improvise over a chord progression. I also think that music is a creative art that should be changing with the times as musicians continue to create music. It is important for students to encounter all styles, but especially the ones they already enjoy, so they can contribute to this world. Think of the great composers of the different time periods. The romantic composers studied Bach and Beethoven, but they wrote in their new style too! And they definitely also studied and listened to music of their own period, which was quite different from the periods before them. That is how music should be. If we take our students and only teach them classical music, we pull them out from having an influence on the popular music of the day and the popular music world ends up only having mediocre musicians and music doesn’t go anywhere. i think that classical music should be a means to an end – to teach techniques of the past so students can participate in the music of the present and not the other way around. Classical music should not be the end goal. I know that is hard for a lot of teachers because they love and grew up on classical music.. But we have to give students what they will need to be successful in this world (which does also include some classical music, but not only classical music.) Just a few ideas to think about. Thanks for bringing up this topic – it is an important one. (And for the record, I do still teach my students classical music, just not only classical music)