Recently, I completely changed the way I eat. Through a program designed to discover food sensitivities I rapidly realized that everything I ate had some sort of “trickle down effect” into almost every aspect of my life… be it positive or negative. It was amazing to me that a single serving of seemingly “good for you” spinach with dinner could have me doubled over in pain and sporting a brand new rash the very next morning.
And so with my heightened “spidey-senses”, I began to approach my piano studio with a keen eye on the “trickle down effect” that takes place in every single lesson.
Actions and Reactions in Piano Lessons
So much of my piano lessons are planned… but so much also happens “off the cuff” or in response to my students. And both the planned and the unplanned actions in piano lessons have a corresponding reaction in my students.
Once I decided to be aware of the power of my actions; word choices, body language, notes made, facial expressions… everything… then I suddenly seemed to have much more control over the reactions of my students.
How to Make it Work In Your Studio
How did I discover the ins and outs of the “trickle down effect” with each of my students? The same way I figured out that I cannot eat spinach… or asparagus. I changed one small thing at a time and observed the outcome.
If lesson notes just weren’t being read by a student, I adjusted one small aspect of the format I used… and made note of the difference it did or did not have the following week. If I had a frustrated and reluctant student, I adjusted my tone of voice and the way I gave directions… and then observed the difference it did or did not have. Trial and error… testing and observing.
Yikes…
You would think that I would feel suddenly handcuffed; afraid to make a misstep or to assume something incorrectly (just as I’m wary of eating anything with wheat, vinegar, corn, dairy or mango!) but the opposite is the case.
I feel incredibly empowered.
It no longer seems like a random turn of events when a student of mine has an unproductive practice week, or is not grasping a concept, or is feeling overwhelmed… or had a fabulous practice week, grasped concepts immediately and is begging for a challenge. Instead, I’m learning that my actions that are producing these reactions – no matter how small. Sure there are outside factors that come into play, but I can also make adjustments to minimize the effect of these other influences. And the process of discovering exactly what these actions are for each individual child has become one of the most enjoyable aspects of my job.
Deb Rausch says
I studied Love and Logic for teachers and found what a difference my choice of wording can make. I really have to practice and be aware of how I word comments, but the results are so worth it. Instead of saying finger 4 is not round, say I noticed finger 2 was rounded beautifully. Instead of saying you’re slouching, or sit up straight. Ask do you prefer to sit straight up or with shoulders slightly closer to piano than hips. I also found the more choices we can give like this the more the student really takes ownership of the ship and is not just a passenger. LoveandLogic.com is worth scoping out.
Eleanor Baldwin says
I have a potential trickle down problem so maybe you or a reader can help. My eight year old M. has a problem with rests. When she sees a rest, she counts it and then LOSES HER PLACE and doesn’t see the music on time after that. She plays pieces without rests (like Yankee Doodle) just fine. Any suggestions?
Tasha says
I use the imagery of sing-along videos with a ball bouncing on the words (notes/rests), first with my pencil then with their imagination. The ball will bounce on the next beat no matter what!
Debbie says
I love the idea of using the bouncing ball! I’m looking forward to trying it out with a few of my students.
Judy says
Tasha – (besides that I love your name because it’s my daughter’s also,) I LOVE your idea of the bouncing ball/pencil! I have that very problem of counting rests right now with some students! I am a visual learner and I love to make things visual and then internalize them. Thanks!
Val Letenyei says
Have you tried giving the student an action to do on the rest instead of counting it? Example…bounce head, tap foot, sniff, blink or verbalize the rest…ssh…and keep going. Younger students will make this into a game and then it becomes more fun. After the student has internalized the rhythm, take away the actions and see if the rhythm sticks. I recently did this with an older student who was learning “Cantina Band” and his rhythm was great the next week!