The words we use when speaking to struggling piano students are incredibly powerful. Children are impressionable and can take everything you say to heart. The wrong verbal approach to a piano student’s struggles (even if delivered with the best of intentions) can create a sense of hopelessness. And piano students who feel hopeless aren’t very likely to remain piano students for long.
So, in today’s post, we’re going to help you keep your piano studio jam-packed with optimistic kids who laugh in the face of musical challenges, by sharing the DOs and DON’Ts to follow when talking to struggling piano students.
6 Tips For Talking To Struggling Piano Students
We will all encounter a student who struggles at some point. Often these times of frustration are temporary, but they do have the potential to push a particularly sensitive child over the edge. To get them over the hump and onward to success, keep these 6 tips in mind.
1. Don’t pretend the struggle isn’t real
When a piano student is stuck in a rut, they know it. Attempting to convince them that the rut isn’t real or isn’t particularly deep will make them feel frustrated and confused. Pretending everything is fine gives them the impression that they will not get the help they need to make their feelings of frustration and confusion go away.
2. Do let them know that they aren’t struggling alone
Few things are worse than thinking you are the only one with a problem… so let your struggling piano students know that they aren’t the only one that has experienced a hiccup on the bench. Every student will experience struggles. If you want to retain them, you need to share stories of your own struggles and those experienced by other students. If they know they are not alone, and if they know that other students have overcome the same obstacles, they will be more willing to put in the effort to succeed at the piano.
3. Don’t dwell on excuses
Struggling piano students may have a very good excuse for their challenges but it’s no use dwelling on these excuses. While you can be empathetic to their situations, a quick acknowledgment of the excuse, followed by the offering of proactive strategies will let struggling students focus on moving forward rather than dwelling on the problems of the present. Excuses are the gateway to giving up… help your students avoid them at all costs.
4. Do reference an area where they don’t struggle
Piano students, especially young ones, can make a single struggle feel like a thousand. They fixate on the one thing they can’t do perfectly while ignoring a plethora of other capable abilities. When a student is struggling on the piano bench be sure to follow up with an acknowledgment of things that they do particularly well. And better yet, if you can remind them of a skill that once was a challenge and has now been mastered, you’ll give your struggling piano students hope that they can get over their current hurdle.
5. Don’t talk about moving backward
Nobody enjoys moving backward, so if you have struggling piano students, communicate the idea of lateral movement. Let them know that more time or additional material at their current level will help them eliminate their current struggles. It’s certainly not the end of the world if you have to review past material, but if you can present your students with new material from different sources (but at the same level or a lower level) you will be more able to keep their pride intact.
6. Do offer them a plan for remediation
Finally, and most importantly, offer your piano students an immediate plan of action. Acknowledge that things are hard and let them know that you will help them fix the problem. Young piano students need hope delivered from someone in the driver’s seat. Avoid saying, “You need to do this,” or “You need to do that,” and instead use phrases like, “I am going to help you by doing this…” or “We can overcome this challenge by doing that.”
Music Books For Struggling Piano Students
Sometimes struggling piano students just need to take a break from their method books. But what are they supposed to play while on this break? The answer… music from Andrea and Trevor Dow’s Very Useful Piano Library! This 17-level book series contains micro-leveled resources with music and activities that meet the needs of any piano student. Do you have students who love mermaids, unicorns, diggers, sharks, hamsters, or dinosaurs? We have a book for them!
Click here or on the image below to check out all we have to offer in the Very Useful Piano Library.
Maryann Messina says
How do I address a student who yawns a lot during class?
A mother also tells me that her two kids are “bored” with their music.
Any suggestions?
Thank you!!
Andrea says
Hi Maryann – I think it’s important to remember that young children need frequent changes of focus to be able to learn effectively. A good rule of thumb is to take their age and then add 2-3 minutes. This is the total amount of time you should spend on any one activity. So, if you have a 6 year old, you should be spending 8-9 minutes on one task before switching focus. Changes of focus don’t need to interrupt your lesson, in fact they can be really effective at reinforcing or teaching concepts. Incorporating off-bench activities (movement, piano games etc.) is a great way to touch on all forms of learning and will keep those yawns at bay 😉 We post a lot about this on our blog, but here’s a good one to get started with: https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2014/06/08/even-my-perfect-piano-students-need-these-7-focus-enhancing-activities/
Linda Hyland says
It’s always good to have a reminder of this because there will always be a student struggling with something. The right words are so important and sometimes it’s hard to make them understand. I also find some are so very hard on themselves and expect perfection way too soon! For me, this has been the hardest challenge to overcome. As always, thanks for the great advice!
Andrea says
Thanks for commenting, Linda! It’s true – perfectionist children can be more difficult to teach than kids who are carefree – word choice becomes even more important as does teaching them how to embrace mistakes as a learning moment. We blogged about perfectionist students here: https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2012/06/04/how-to-teach-piano-to-perfectionist-pete/
ML Brinkman says
Because of #s 5 and 6, I have been so glad that I joined your Piano Book Club last year! In October, I came to the realization that one of my 2nd year students had not mastered the concept of intervals nearly as well as she needed. Older siblings had been helping her learn new pieces at home; consequently her reading abilities were abysmal. I contemplated assigning a different, easier method book – then I remembered the Inkor Squidvinsky book from the Book Club. It’s been the perfect thing for her. The pieces are longer than her method book pieces, so she thinks that she is playing more “grown up” music. Solving the mystery completely captivated her imagination and made her excited to practice. She just finished the last piece yesterday and is now ready to return to her method book with much better reading skills! Thanks for what y’all do!
Andrea says
This makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Yes, moving parallel can be a real “self esteem” saver – and if you can find a project book that keeps your student really engaged in the process then it’s a win/win. So glad PianoBookClub is providing those options for you 🙂
Laura says
This is exactly where I’m at right now in teaching. I taught my own daughter right from the start and she’s always been very motivated and determined. She plays well now at almost 17. I have had a couple of other students recenly. One being my nephew. He’s 10 and has usually been really good at whatever he wants to do. Piano is hard. He wants to play more advanced stuff and pop music. He really doesn’t want to play the beginner songs at all though he’s done extremely well at understanding concepts I can’t find much he really wants to make an effort to practice. Then he does try and knows that he did something wrong and gives up saying he can’t. We have to be able to get through easy stuff well so that he has the skill and know how to play what he wants. I’m not sure what to try next. Going to try again at getting his mom to help get past the discouraging parts. I’ve read a lot of your articles that give me new ideas to try. It’s a bit tough as he’s beyond some of the young kid strategies. Any ideas would be great. I love all the comments.
Anna says
I have an 8 year old boy who has always had a hard time focusing. Switching gears every few minutes seemed to work for a few months, plus ending with a game….but now he isn’t interested in playing piano and wants to play drums. His home situation is a little crazy, so I can understand why his aunt wants to keep him in piano, for consistency’s sake, but it’s getting harder to keep his attention. He’s a good reader/player for the end of PA Level 1, but now he grumbles and plays through the songs quickly, showing his annoyance. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Andrea says
Hi Anna! Are you using any supplementary repertoire with him? Sometimes kids get really bogged down if they’re only playing method book pieces. If you can find a piece that really catches his interest or a project book that gets him excited it can make all the difference. I know you’re a PianoBookClub member – what about using the Inkor Squidvinsky book with him or Chewtwig Van Beaverton? You could get into some composing if you have the Castaway Kip book. Or, if he’s really into the drum idea – teach him the rhythm parts for the Lap Tap Clap book and focus on rhythm for a few weeks to get his interest back? It’s okay to take a break from method books to regroup and re-spark a student and sometimes putting that book away for a bit actually results in more progress in the long-run anyway 🙂
anna says
Thank you Andrea! I forgot about the lap Tap Clap book which might do the trick since he’s interested in drums. I’ll talk all about drums and rhythm! I hope it catches his attention. I’ve tried using supplementary pieces with him but it’s the same struggle as with any piece. We do always fit a game in during the end of each lesson which he likes! I’ll look through all my bookclub stuff and see what other rhythm based things I can find too. Thank you for the tips. 🙂
Andrea says
My pleasure! I hope something helps 🙂 Often it’s just “one piece” or one book that can become a turning point!