We have a dog named Marley… you know… like “Bad Dog Marley”. Trevor wanted to name him “The General” (I think in a failed attempt to boost the testosterone in an otherwise girl-dominated household).
Sometimes I wonder how our interactions with Marley would be different if we did name him “The General”. Would there be more rough-housing with our loveable but trouble-making goofball? Would he wear a studded-coller and smell like dirt, rather than than the Cookies N’ Cream dog perfume the girls insist on buying?
I think so. I think something as simple as a name can, at the very least, influence one’s initial interactions with a dog… or a person… or a piano piece.
Why Your Students Should Rename Their Piano Pieces…
It seems too simple to think that a simple change to just the title of a piece can have an effect on your piano students’ motivation to practice it… but it’s true!
I tried renaming piano pieces with my students recently and it was a major hit. I found it very interesting to see how such a seemingly trivial aspect of a piano piece can have such a profound impact on a piano students’ motivation. My students were excited about pieces they would have previously found “ho-hum”, they played with more expression, they paid closer attention to the articulation and dynamics and they practiced more! The piece became “theirs” and when this happens… they feel an owership that is a powerful motivator.
How can you make this happen too?
Have your piano students cut out the following title strips. Then, start a discussion with your piano students based on some of the following simple questions:
- This piece reminds me of…
- This piece sounds like…
- If this piece was an animal it would be a…
- If this piece was a movie, it would be about…
- I think the composer was feeling (blank) when she wrote this piece.
Next, using the information garnered from the above discussions, encourage your piano students to come up with an alternate title for the piano piece. Write this new name on a title strip and, using double-sided tape, place it over the actual title of the piece.
And that’s it… an instant change in attitude toward a new piano piece! Give it a try 🙂
When we create PianoBookClub books we do so with the knowledge that visual appeal, interesting themes and engaging piece titles can make all the difference. That’s why our supplementary repertoire is like nothing your piano students have ever seen! Increase motivation for just $8 a month as you build an amazing library of exciting music!
Sandra says
Thanks for the title strips. I have found it helpful to rename a piece, but having a cool title strip will add to the fun!
Robyn says
Thank you so much Andrea. What a great idea! And thanks for sharing the strips. I appreciate your suggestions so much.
Beth Yantz says
Learning ‘cello as a sophomore in HS was what I wanted to do, since I had played piano since I was 6 and was ready to increase my musical expertise. My teacher kept assigning me the most tedious exercises that sounded bland and blah, especially since I was fairly accomplished at the piano and expected that I SHOULD sound that good on ‘cello. In frustration, he changed the name of one of my etudes by agressiving coloring over the name (etude #___ ) the way I would have loved to have scribbled over the entire study, and placed an attitude changing title above it (“A New Song of Praise”). I never forgot the lesson. I still didn’t love playing the piece, but the ATTITUDE about my playing the piece did a 180. It’s the little things we do that make the BIG difference. If we notice they hate a song, we can do something for our students! I have done this with a few of my students since then. It really does help!!! Thanks for the cute title strips. I feel inspired to make some more, with cute little graphics, to help inspire a title if none come to the students’ minds. By the way, in method books, I’ve also seen some attitude adjustments when I allow students license to “edit” the dynamics and articulations – AFTER they show me they can do it as originally written, of course. Some of the variations are very artistic, because they feel it deep down, and their creativity is inspired to grow. Little things. Little things. They. make. a. difference!