‘Tis the season for hacking coughs, runny noses, and pink eye. And while we’d love to offer every piano teacher a cure for what ails ‘em, the piano student illnesses we hope to cure with composing are a tad different… but just as unpleasant.
Every piano teacher finds themselves faced with common “piano student problems”. It’s likely that you come face-to-face with them on a weekly basis, in fact. But did you know that the best medicine for these piano student ailments is composing?
We are composing “super-fans”. And by super-fan, I mean picture me sporting a cheese hat and a big foam finger with a wild expression screaming “Wahoo… composing rocks!” This is no hyperbole. Composing is the secret antidote that can revive your students and resuscitate your piano studio. Check out the following 5 “illnesses” cured by composing:
5 Piano Student “Illnesses” That Can Be Cured With Composing
1. Uninspired-itis
For some piano students, finding motivational music can be a real struggle. You no doubt have had a student that has taken home every book of supplementary repertoire you own and still can’t find a piece that clicks. For these students, composing can be your cure. When you sit down to compose with students and suggest certain rhythmic or melodic patterns, all of a sudden their taste in music is revealed. Before long these students have found the music that works for them… their own!
2. Forgot-to-practosis
Want to spike a piano teacher’s blood pressure? It’s simple, just say these 4 words I forgot to practice. This very common illness is often the result of an uninspired piano student. While they may “like” the pieces they’re playing, they have no special connection that makes them want to rush home and break out the piano books. Composing to the rescue again! When kids learn to compose their own piano pieces they are suddenly hit with a strong sense of ownership over their creation. This in turn motivates them to hit the piano practice hard to perfect their piece. After all, their composition is a reflection of who they are, and nobody wants “who they are” to be a broken, hesitated piece of music.
3. Technique-Blockulism
Even the most diligent, talented piano students struggle with the occasional mental block. Whether it’s as simple as a challenging measure or something more complex like technique trouble, composing can help your piano students conquer this illness. As we’ve written in the past, whenever we have students struggling with a concept we simply compose a little tune that tackles the block. You can read a more detailed post about our strategy here.
4. Self Confidemia
Composing as a cure of Self-Confidemia is based on anecdotal evidence. It is not easy to explain why it works… just know that it does work. There is something about composing that brings certain students out of their shell. So if you have a student who needs a pick-me-up, give composing a try.
5. Forgot-my-bookenza
Alright… so composing can’t actually cure Forgot-my-bookenza but it can deal with the very real symptom of having no relevant material to work on during a piano lesson. As long as you have some printed composition sheets readily available you can fly through a lesson whether a student brought her piano book or not.
Fill Your Prescription Here!
If curing the following “illnesses” is high on your priority list, but you’re not sure where to start with composing, then check out our resource The Curious Case of Muttzart and Ratmaninoff. It is a simple, yet pedagogically sound resource that is easy to follow for both teachers and their students. With 12 easy-to-follow lessons, your students will learn composing techniques from the very first lesson!
Kelly Koch says
I absolutely agree that composing is an exciting and personal way to teach! I took most of my students through Muzzart and Ratmaninoff last year. It was awesome to see the lights come on for these students with the above ailments.
My next request would be for a middle/high-school composing/improv project. Or perhaps a second level for Muzzart with idea-starters. My favorite topics for suggestion to my students were food or pets. One little girl…a total frustration…came alive as she wrote a piece called “Ode to Chick-Fil-A”. Student-saver for sure!
Thanks guys for these awesome products!!
Kay says
My cure for Forgot-my-Bookenza is that I keep copies of the method books the students use on hand to help with my lesson planning. If they forget their book, I just happen to have a copy!!! Of course, the editing and reminder mark won’t be there. But I actually like your idea of composition in stead!!
anna says
Hahaaaa! Super funny on the illness names. It was fun trying to pronounce them at first. Cool. 🙂 Now you can come up with antidote names like: Take 2 Practizoldays a week. Or 3 times a week stretch out with that good yoga move: Sittencom Pose.