I have taught many “Anthonys” over the years. Mostly because I was willing to take on the piano students that were deemed “too difficult” by other teachers! In fact, I gained a reputation in my area for being the go-to teacher for squirmy, wiggly, excitable, and just plain wild piano students. Lucky me. I got used to hearing the warnings that (some!) parents would give me… “I’m not sure how he’ll do with 30 minutes”…“She has a bit of trouble focusing in school”…”He has a lot of energy”.
In the beginning (I’m not going to lie) it was tough. Kids liked me because I was kind and fun – but inside I was struggling. Those 30-minute lessons haunted me in my sleep. However, the day that one particular student attempted to climb my french doors was the day I decided I needed a real plan… a “How to Teach Piano to Busy Students” plan.
So… let’s stop climbing my door and learn to play the piano!
Granted, many piano teachers will not put up with any behaviour issues in lessons at all. And, if you are in the financial situation where you can and do refuse students, then all the power to you! (Although with enough of a plan, “Anthony” can actually be quite fun!) But as a piano teacher who is working “in the trenches” you may be needing to tough it out with students like these. Here’s how you can make your life a whole lot easier:
1) Set the tone for energy level – I used to be a camp counsellor. I can ramp up a crowd of children with the best of them. In the beginning, I made the mistake of matching the energy level of my Anthonys. I (mistakenly) pulled out all the stops to keep them entertained and did everything short of magic tricks to keep their attention. I was a one-woman circus. But the one-woman circus was misguided. Rambunctious children feed off the energy of others, but they don’t have an easy-to-find off switch. You’re setting them up unfairly if you yourself are “pumped up”. Set the tone for the lesson by projecting the energy level you’d like to see from your piano students. Think zen. They’ll learn to mirror your energy.
2) Remove distractions… and disasters – While I couldn’t remove my french doors… in retrospect, the grate on the outside did look surprisingly like a ladder! And while you can’t predict every distraction your piano student will find – you can certainly remove the obvious ones. Become an extreme minimalist for their lesson time. If they only have you and their music to focus on you’ll be much more successful.
3) Teach in chunks – Separate your lesson time into at least 5 different zones. But make these zones predictable. Calmly direct your student through a multi-activity lesson. Be fair to them – they simply can’t sit still for 30 minutes. As much as you may try to glue their bottom to that bench… you’ll lose that battle. Find ways of reinforcing their learning off the piano bench. But don’t give in to the “Can we do the rhythm game now?” type requests before you’ve finished the previous activity. Anthony will learn to predict what he has to accomplish before moving on to something new. He loves to move on to something new… so make him work for it.
4) Meet your new friend… the piano lid – My piano lid was never closed. My Anthonys changed that for me. It was next to impossible to truly have them listen unless the keys were off bounds. Never talk over “noodling”. Close the lid and have the patience to sit and (kindly) stare until he realizes that you are waiting for him. Silence on your part is extremely effective. Use it to regain control.
5) Give him a reason to listen – You can adopt all of the behaviour modification strategies in the world – but if what you’re offering is boring it will never work with an Anthony. Be extra creative in your approach to piano lessons – give him repertoire, games, and performance opportunities that are “worth it” for him. Be aware of different learning styles – only explaining something aurally will not work for all students. Find ways of giving the same information visually, aurally and kinaesthetically.
The “Anthonys” in your studio may never become concert pianists. They may progress through their method books slowly. They may play their pieces with the grace and sensitivity of a water buffalo. And while they may require much more work than any other kind of piano student in your studio, the results can be worth it. I find nothing in my career to be more rewarding than watching my “Anthonys” play the piano in our end-of-year recital… knowing that had it not been for me and my persistence he would not be able to do so. Not all gifts worth giving are easy. This gift is worth the work.
Active Students Love Action-Packed Music!
If your active “Anthony” is craving action-packed music, then you can turn to The Adventures of Fearless Fortissimo! This comic-based supplementary piano book series is filled with stories and illustrations that captivate and music that motivates. Find them on Amazon here.
Andrew says
Ha! I recognize many of my young boys and a few girls in Anthony. I too used to make the mistake of matching energy only to have it go way out of control. Unfortunately, I can’t close my piano lid as I’ve stuffed the piano with sound proofing (for our NYC neighbors!) but I have started using silence and it works!
I like the 5 zones. I’ve had 3 but that’s probably because of the space.
Very validating Andrea, thanks!
best
Andrew
Andrea says
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the comment! Yes, the energy level thing is really important, its so easy to make that mistake and match *theirs* instead!
Happy teaching 🙂
Stacey says
This is the post that I’ve been waiting for! I have a pair of siblings –brother and sister– who are both so adorable & I love seeing them every week…. but they both have sooooo much energy that the doodling, the distractions, the inability to concentrate or listen to even a sentence or two of instruction has been such a difficult hurdle to get over. They are the only students that I ever have to close the piano lid for–every week, every few minutes! I definitely made the same mistake of matching their energy when they walked in the door during the first few months–and then I learned that I was just setting myself up for a disaster! This has been the biggest thing that I’ve learned so far. I definitely like your idea of breaking the lessons into chunks of different activities. They’ve both responded well to games, so having a designated “game time” or “stand up and clap/stomp time” is a great idea. Thank you for sharing your ideas!!
Andrea says
Hi Stacey,
Glad you are having success with your busy duo! The chunking of the lesson really worked for me. To a hyper child 30 minutes seems like an eternity – but if they know that the activity they are currently completing is short then you are more likely to get results from them. Thanks for reading!
Catherine says
Question for other teachers on this: Do you have parents watching your lessons in the same room, or a separate waiting room? I encourage parents to watch the entire lesson (from afar, but still in the same room). Most of the time, that works out. Sometimes–and usually in the spirit of well-meaning concern, the parent seems to intervene too early, instead of just letting the child and I work through it. I try to reassure the parent that we are working through it, but it’s difficult for the embarrassed parent to deal with the situation! Yet, I also don’t want to discourage parents from watching the lesson, either.
Andrea says
Hi Catherine,
I’ve never had parents sit in. In my experience it caused too much confusion as to who was the “one to listen to” in the lesson. The parents I’ve had have always seemed happy to hand over the reigns (so to speak!) to me for the class and it has made for a better teacher/student relationship if they know that I’m the one in charge during that time. I’d love to hear what others think!
Lorri says
I take children as young as age 3. Until they are about 5, I require the parents to sit in so they will know how to implement practice at home. At that age, it is about gaining the habit of practice, and the parents only know what I want if they see. It is ok if they miss sitting in the occasional time, but I want them there most of the time. Occasionally, a child will want his parent out
Lorri says
(continuned) they are on their own, but parents are always welcome to sit in if they or the children would like it. There is no doubt in my classroom who is the authority! Of course I do write down the order of practice and what I want done as a reference, but if a parent sees how I get a child to work, it is much easier for them to continue it at home. I have a lot of success with this – I have been teaching over twenty years, and almost every year I have students win provincial exam medals. One of my students won for grade 5 piano exam this year. She is 11 years old and started at the age of three.
Patti Irwin says
Great suggestions, Andrea. I have found with some of my Anthony’s that sugar is the culprit. I ask my parents to give their child only healthy snacks before their lesson. The “ants” don’t go away but it certainly helps. When I began teaching in 1989, it was rare to have an Anthony. Now, it seems like every other child has trouble focusing. But I have to say I become very close to my Anthony’s and their families. It takes a lot of patience and creativity but have found it to be worth every second.
Andrea says
Hi Patti,
YES! Sugar is definitely a contributing factor for a lot of kids. I will never forget discovering that one of my “Anthonys” stopped at Tim Hortons for Timbits (how Canadian am I eh?) before his lesson every week as an incentive to “behave”. That was quickly stopped 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
Anna says
I have also found that printing a “schedule” of activities for their lesson each week — and having it on the piano (with fun pictures/icons that go with each activity) REALLY helps this kind of student to stay focused. They know what to expect.
Andrea says
Hi Anna,
This is a great idea! In fact, we wrote a post about this strategy not long ago 🙂 It helps many different “kinds” of students to see what is expected of them in their lesson. All kids love routine and predictability.
Thanks for your comment!
Tanesia says
This has been very helpful to me. I taught my first official piano lesson today and it was to a four year old little girl. She couldn’t sit still, didn’t want to play, kept stealing my pencil to draw on her piano books and every time I tried to nicely get her to play the piano she verged on tears. How do you teach a child that doesn’t want to play? She simply wants to bang on the keys with her hands…or her feet.
MaryAnn says
I’ve had my share of Anthony’s as well! Thankful to know I’m not alone!!! The hardest for me to deal with has been siblings~Mom drops them off and leaves..It feels like I’m not only a piano teacher, but a babysitter as well~any suggestions?
Diane says
Spot on! I’ve even had to remove my earrings because a student was mesmerized by them and not focusing.
Hope says
A few days ago my five year old laid down on my piano bench. I said “Gee I have never taught a student laying down before.” Then I said “Hey do you want to play Simon Says on the piano?” So he sat up and we played. Down on the bench again. I turned to one of his songs and said: “I think I need a piano teacher to teach me this piece.” And I proceeded to play it incorrectly. He showed me the correct way. Then we went to another piece and I asked him some questions about it. He said” you know I really think I need you to be the teacher.” Mission accomplished!