Question: What recommendations do you have for teaching transfer students? For example, how do you determine what level they are at? How do you determine what method to use and where to start in that particular method?
Note: If you haven’t listened to The King and I soundtrack lately, perhaps a trip to youtube is in order before reading any further. But, if you’re like me and can still “Whistle A Happy Tune”… then “Shall We Dance” into the post? 🙂
Okay, so I’m a complete Broadwayphile. But stay with me here. Teaching transfer piano students is something that most of us come across at some point in our piano teaching career. When dealing with transfer piano students, it’s a delicate balance between resisting the urge to scrap everything and start from scratch vs. limping through a method book and teaching regimen that is as foreign to you as Siam (Did you get it? I’m quite proud of that segue!).
Every piano teacher has their own unique way of teaching… and our piano students carry our stamp of teaching with them wherever they go. So how do we, as the new piano teacher, continue their piano lessons without driving ourselves (or the student) crazy? … Hammerstein has the answers.
*Cue the Music*: “Getting to know you, getting to know all about you…”
You and your transfer piano student have a lot of catching up to do! It’s important to start your teaching relationship with as much background information as you can get your hands on. Ask your student to bring all of their old piano books (as far back as they can) to their first lesson. By flipping through their early method books you’ll get a good idea of their former teacher’s style.
However, still spend some time with your piano student talking about topics such as: how they are used to approaching a new piece, the length of time they are used to playing a piece, how much review they typically did and what kinds of pieces they enjoyed the most. You’ll get a good read from their old books on how their former teacher approached these topics, but it’s also good to get your new piano student’s take.
“Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me…”
One of the most important things to consider when beginning lessons with a new transfer piano student is how you will go about building a strong teacher/student relationship. It can be a bit of a rocky road in the beginning; they’re getting used to you and your ways, you’re getting used to theirs. They’ll may miss their former teacher… or could possibly have had a negative experience with piano lessons in the past. Having a common ground of mutual trust, respect and (hopefully!) friendship is paramount. Take a genuine interest in their out-of-piano life. Have a good sense of humour. Be the piano teacher they’ll wish they began with in the first place!
One of the best relationship-building activities is to play a piano game with your student. Not only can you quietly get a good read on what they do and do not know, but you can have some fun, share some laughs and show them the unique and fun materials they can look forward to using with you! Check out PianoGameClub.com to start building an incredible piano game library.
“Getting to know you, putting it my way but nicely…”
If you are going to have a long and prosperous future with this student, it is important that you are free to teach the way you teach. Attempting to continue their piano education in the same vein as their former teacher can only work for so long. It’s best to quickly establish their level (sight reading is a great way to find out their strengths and weaknesses pretty quickly, but you will also have seen their method book history) and then switch them into the method book series that you are used to using. It’s okay to take a few steps back in terms of difficulty or level when switching into a new method book (so starting at the beginning of the appropriate book is just fine). Your student will have time to adjust to your new teaching methods without being too stretched by the repertoire… and, you’ll have the opportunity to undo any habits that you find don’t fit with your teaching style.
Be considerate of their ego when introducing the new method book. A student who is used to being in Level 4 of one series and who is suddenly placed in Level 2 of another will need a careful explanation of how the methods are different.
“You are precisely my cup of tea”
With enough flexibility and empathy, transitioning a new piano student from one teacher to the next can actually be an enjoyable challenge. You’ll have the opportunity to really exercise your teaching muscles as you find ways to work around difficulties and differences between the two teaching methods and styles your transfer piano student is contending with. And you’ll find yourself feeling “free and easy” and “bright and breezy” as you learn new things about your transfer piano student “daaaaay byyyyyy daaaaaay”. *Cue the Jazz Hands*
…My apologies if this song lodges itself in your brain for the rest of the day 🙂
Mauara S. Phillips says
I always have them play something they like and defines their ablility/skill level to begin with and look through past books and ask questions about what they want to be able to play in the future.
Andrea says
Hi Mauara,
Yes, you can definitely learn a lot from just watching and listening as they play a favourite piece. Thanks for your comment!
Lauri Bernet says
This is such a clever way to write the post! Love it!!
I think another good selection would be “Something There” from Beauty & the Beast. The piece plays when Belle & Beast start recognizing that they are becoming friends.
It takes some time to adjust to change for both parties, but more so for the student. I receive a LOT of transfer students, many of whom have not been successful before as I am a music therapist. I think the main key is starting the student in books that encourage easily achieved success, and then offering a lot of positive praise. Before long, it will be possible to move, challenge & push them to excel. There will be “something there that wasn’t there before…” (Alan Menken)
Andrea says
Hi Lauri,
Yes! Having them achieve immediate success with you is very important – you are so right. It’s better to ease into your working relationship together than to challenge them immediately. Happy Teaching!
Stacey says
Love it!
I completely agree with everything you’ve written. It’s really important to take your time and *really* understand where a transfer student is at–with their playing, their reading abilities and their knowledge of theory. I always ask my transfer students to bring their old books (as many as they have) and I ask them to prepare a piece that they recently learned. I also have them go back and play pieces from their old books that they may not have necessarily practiced recently. This sometimes gives you a waaayyy better idea of their reading skills than hearing their prepared piece. Using sight reading books slightly below their level is also a good way to go.
I like to give lots of compliments as they play through the material from their old books–this lets them know that I like them & think they’re good pianists! I spend a lot of this time asking questions, like “Do you know where the first phrase begins and ends?” or “What’s the dynamic in the first section?” or “Do you know what chord you’re playing in this section?” Asking these types of questions is very enlightening about their theory knowledge! And then I’ll make small requests for them to “try it this way”…. which gives you a good idea of how they respond to suggestions.
I’ve learned my lesson with transfer students….. don’t rush! Ask lots of questions, do lots of review and make them feel good about what they’ve learned. Build from there.
Andrea says
Hi Stacey – great points! Thank you for sharing.
Melinda says
Just reviewing this post as I’ll be starting some transfers tomorrow! I love your suggestions, Stacey about the questions to check for their theory knowledge! Definitely going to use it.
Christine says
Wonderful post.
Now I am going to have that tune stuck in my head all day…….
Andrea says
🙂 Sorry Christine! I actually dreamed that song all last night! LOL
Cheryl says
Love this post..People centered, Heart-centered = Wonderful feeling, Wonderful Results! Thank You.
Shanna says
As I get a few transfer students each year, I’ve learned these lessons the hard way. My new kids coming in seem to be coming from the same teacher, hence, bad learning experiences. I’ve learned it takes a lot of patience and care in dealing with these students and showing them that I really do care and am interested in them.
I have found one of the biggest keys is to listen to the student when they talk. In my interviews, I actually tell the parents I’m going to ignore them while I get to know their child. Then I talk to the student about the movies they’ve seen recently or the books they’ve read. I ask some really odd ball questions but it gets me to know their likes and dislikes really quickly. The kids love it that I talk with them and they feel much better about asking questions or stating they don’t care for something. My new students love the motto: I’m going to make you comfortably uncomfortable. Within a few short weeks, you wouldn’t even know they are new to my studio.
Rebecca Brown says
I love that! “I’m going to make you comfortably uncomfortable.” That’s precisely the edge we balance on so often in lessons!
Alina says
Hi Shanna,
Thank you so much for this info. I’d be interested to know what kind of questions you ask to get to know a child’s like and dislikes better from the get go.
Alina
Lynnette Emme says
Love this! And all the comments. I’m having a rough go with some of my trader students and this was very encouraging. Another tip is not to criticize their former teacher. If they have something they learned wrong or haven’t learned, take Stacey’s advice and say “try it this way” instead of saying their teacher didn’t know what he/she was doing. I’ve also noticed not everything needs to be fixed right away. I try to pick one thing every two weeks to help them with. Thanks again for the great post!
Hayley says
I have recently taken up a new replacement teaching position at a local studio and I am starting this week with 18 (yes, 18!!!) transfer students, all coming from the same teacher. Thanks so much for this advice. Hoping it will make my first week run a little smoother!
Andrea says
Best of luck Hayley!