I received an email from a parent today… “Any tips for getting my daughter to stop playing the piano? She’s seriously obsessed!” Obviously a tongue-and-cheek comment from a mom who is thrilled that her daughter enjoys piano lessons so much… but a spark of truth lies in there too as I know this particular student is playing the same piece over and over again at home. She really is obsessed!
The Power of Just One Piano Piece
This was a great reminder to me of the power that just one piano piece can wield; a piece your piano student loves so much that they play it again and again and again (driving their family bonkers in the process). And as they play this piece over and over and over their fluency improves, their skills blossom and their love for the piano grows. Before you know, it they’ve found another piece they just can’t get enough of… and another… and another. And this is the moment that we piano teachers live for!
As a kid, my “obsession piece” was the theme song from the show Cheers (“Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name…”). My piano teacher rarely strayed from classical repertoire but I was granted this one piece. I just couldn’t play it enough. Looking back now I’m sure my family was cringing each time I struck those opening chords. In fact, I know they were, because I clearly remember my younger brother smacking my hands with his plastic shovel while I played… my old piano still bears the chipped piano key to prove it… but that didn’t deter me. I loved that song.
Use This Power For Good!
It’s spring; a time of year when other things beckon to your piano students. Sunshine, sports, longer days… they’re all competing for our piano students’ attention at a time that we’d really like them to be prepping for recitals and saying “yes” to another year of lessons! This is the time that finding an “obsession piece” for your piano students can work absolute magic on their skills, on their practice hours and on your re-registration rates!
We’ve had so many teachers email to tell us that their students’ “obsession pieces” have come straight out of our book “The Adventures of Fearless Fortissimo”. In the words of one teacher: “He is thrilled with the pieces in the first book. I don’t have to do any encouraging, tempting, helping, selling, no holding my breath, no hoping and praying-he is just PLAYING THE MUSIC, with appetite. BRAVO!” Haul out this secret weapon and let Fearless Fortissimo save your spring!
Stephanie says
I purchased Episode 1 of Fearless Fortissimo earlier this week! I’m so excited to try it out with one of my students!