Wouldn’t it be an interesting twist to the start of a new year if, instead of taking on polite, conscientious, and responsible new students… you instead opted to teach the rude and unruly tyrants that leave you and your piano “trebling” with fear?
Most of you are probably thinking, “Yes… that would be interesting… AND CRAZY!”
And yet, this is my challenge to you:
This year, sign up one piano student that will make your life difficult… one student who would normally make you say, “Whew, thank God he’s not mine!”
You’ll Be Better Off For It
Before I got into the “music biz” I taught Grade 2 in the public school system. Some years I would have a class full of angels, and other years I would have a class full of… “angels-in-training”.
And while I did enjoy the peaceful “easy” years, my most productive years in terms of professional growth were always my most challenging years. And as you probably guessed, I became a better teacher with each and every difficult crew that walked through my door.
Short Term Pain, Long Term Gain
To grow and succeed we must push ourselves out of our comfort zones; take on that challenging piano student we would normally refuse. And while you may have one dreaded half-hour a week… that half-hour will get easier, that student will get better, and all of your other students will benefit.
Need help with your challenging students? Start with these posts.
Leah Murphy says
Back when I was starting off, I had a couple of students that were challenging, to say the least! I had to rack my brain for ways to get through to them and dreaded their lessons – I always expected them to drop out but they never did. Now I’ve been teaching for 5 years, and two of those students are still with me, still not my best learners, still a challenge. And yet, when I open the door to them at the start of each new year, it’s like having old friends come to visit and I find I have come to know the person behind the sometimes bad behaviour. I have to remind myself that they’re learning more than just music from our encounters and I may have an influence on their development beyond what I will ever know… still want to kick their asses sometimes though!
Jeannie says
You mean to say that there are actually teachers out there that has well-behaved students? I thought we only got the rowdy kids?
Andrea says
It certainly feels that way sometimes! LOL 🙂
Ryan Record says
Yeah, I have seen a lot of unruly kids turn around with some patience!
Helen McKinney says
I guess I’m a little different, myself, but I love the “difficult” kids! I teach at a private music school and am one of eight piano teachers. I ask the school to give me the kids that nobody else wants to teach, even though I have seniority and an excellent reputation and can have my pick of the students who enroll.
I love the challenge of connecting with a kid who has some problems and letting them know that somebody believes in them and will hang in there with them, no matter what. I wish I could claim a 100% success rate, but that would be a lie. However, I have had a number of students that other teachers had given up on who turned out to be really great kids once I got to know them and many of them also ended up playing piano very well!
One of my most memorable students was a seven year old autistic boy who was unable to bend his fingers except at the knuckles when he first started taking lessons. It took months before he was even able to play the first “Twinkle” exercise in Suzuki Book 1. He was nearly non-verbal and at first, his progress was painfully slow. He gradually warmed up to me and the more he learned, the faster he progressed. I didn’t let him get by with substandard work and insisted that he polish his pieces, just like everyone else. He got to the point where he really loved the piano and he graduated from Suzuki Book 1 and started on Book 2 before his father was transferred out of town with his job and the family had to move.
I heard from them a few times over the years and this boy continued playing piano and did very well with it! Piano ended up being something he was really good at and it became a source of real joy for him. I was the only teacher who was willing to give him a chance when he first started and I am so very glad that I did!
It is rewarding to teach a child to play the piano and help them acquire a skill that can potentially bring them joy and satisfaction throughout their lives. It is even more rewarding to befriend a child who is struggling with a problem that causes them to behave in ways that tend to push most people away. I have had students with serious behavior problems, but I refused to give up on them. In several cases, once I gained their trust, I found out that they were being abused, either physically or sexually, and I was able to get them the help that they needed.
If all you want to do is teach a child to play an instrument, then by all means, stick with the compliant, well-behaved angels. However, if you want to do more and make a huge difference and possibly change a child’s whole life for the better, then take a risk and embrace those students that nobody else wants to teach. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it!
Trevor says
Love this! Thanks Helen.
megan hughes says
I completely agree that the worst students are also the best, in that the challenge makes you a better teacher and their progress is more satisfying. I once had 2 brothers who were utter terrors and their mother knew it. She paid me in advance for several months at a time, which was not common at that time.
Whenever I had an utterly impossible day with the little angels, I was tempted to call her up and tell her that I couldn’t do it any more, an hour with those boys was beyond my capacity. But I couldn’t bring myself to make the call, because I would have had to pay back all that money (already spent).
The upshot was, I learned how to teach those boys. I think, in the end, I learned more than they did. And I thank them for the lessons. I have been able to teach difficult people ever since, and it is a great skill.