Piano teachers have it backwards. We let the talented, consistent, ambitious piano students slide by while we obsess over the students we perceive as falling behind.
If you’ve fallen into this trap, don’t fret. We’ve all done it.
In this article, I’ll cover why we do this, how to shift our mindset, and how to genuinely serve each and every student in the best way possible without getting burnt out.
Piano Teachers Have the Wrong Mindset
Why Do We Focus More on the Not-so-Serious Piano Student?
So, why do we focus on those piano students we feel are falling behind? Why do we tend to make it our personal mission to get Johnny to finally know those bass clef notes?
The answer comes from our ancestors fighting for survival. Think about it. Who would survive long ago in an unforgiving environment? The problem-solver!
Those early humans who focused more brain power to solving the environmental problems would survive to see another sunrise, while those who ignored negative stimuli in their surroundings might not make it.
It’s hard-wired in our brains to focus on the negative and fix the problems.
How is This Mindset Hurting Our Piano Students?
Our students are not problems to solve. Nor are their preferences or short-comings something to be fixed by us!
Honestly, that should give you some measure of relief! Your students do not have any problems that you need to solve for them.
What Mindset Should We Adopt as Piano Teachers?
Instead of you, the piano teacher, the problem-solver…
Be you, the piano teacher, the facilitator!
There are no problems. There are just humans (those beloved piano students) and paths and music-making along the way.
You are the gatekeeper. You hold the keys to open up new paths. You stand on the sidelines cheering them on. You listen. You answer questions when needed. But you simply let them carve their ever-winding path.
But What About Wrong Notes?!
Okay, I got a little woo-woo. Let’s circle back.
Being a great piano teacher starts with a mindset, esoteric as it may sound.
But then in the trenches we’re constantly making micro-decisions throughout each piano lesson we teach.
Do we just throw on some hippie sunglasses and say, “Whatever, man,” to every wrong note?
No.
And we’re still going to use that problem-solving, negative stimuli detector in our brains, but just in a slightly different way.
So let’s get more practical and talk about how to navigate piano teaching in this new mindset by talking about what a “red flag” actually is and what it absolutely is not.
Detecting Red Flags as a Piano Teacher
What Do You Mean By Red Flags?
By “red flags,” I mean anything a student says, does, or doesn’t do that piques our interest as a piano teacher.
This could be anything that happens during a piano lesson to trigger something in our brains that there is a problem that needs to be solved.
Now you’ll remember I said we’re not going to be problem-solvers anymore. We’re going to be facilitators.
Yes, we will be facilitators, but that instinct–that alert system– isn’t going anywhere so we’re going to use it to help us with this mindset shift.
What Isn’t a Red Flag?
These incidents will register as a red flag, but are not actually serious red flags.
- Wrong notes
- Learning songs with the wrong fingers or rhythm
- Struggling with a concept or technique
- Slow to complete songs
- Not meeting our practice requirements
- Practicing the wrong things
- Not remembering what we said
I feel personally convicted reading back that list!
These are things we are always going to notice.
But let me invite you to let go of the need to FIX them.
Just let that sink in for now, and we’ll discuss specific in-lesson strategies in a moment.
What Is a Red Flag?
Now on to the things we may ignore, but are actually important signs that we need to make a change!
- Lost interest
- Drop in practice
- Expresses dislike
- Expresses other interests
- Closed off
- Hints of quitting
- Goes quiet (either all of a sudden or gradually over time)
If you’re an observant, detail-oriented piano teacher like me, you probably do notice these red flags when they come up, subtle as they may be.
But, if you’re like me, you may just double-down on your original plan for that student. They’ve stopped practicing the Mozart piece you assigned to them and they insist on only playing the Star Wars Theme over and over? I’ll tell them they CAN’T have a new movie song until they’ve mastered Mozart. That will motivate them!
Let me propose that there is a better way!
Practical Ways to Shift the Mindset
One Sentence to Change How You Teach Piano Lessons
This is way simpler than you might think. With this one simple statement, you’ll change how you react to “problems” and inspire your students weekly to find their own path to a lifetime of musical enjoyment.
Ready?
Here’s what you’re going to think whenever a red flag (or a “feels like a red flag but isn’t a red flag”) comes up…
How can I facilitate a feeling of “I can’t wait to go home and try this!” in my student right now?
That’s it! It’s so simple it feels like it can’t possibly work. But try it this week with your students!
Expect Mental Pushback
Your creative, amazing piano teacher brain is going to think of something as soon as you ask the question, I just know it.
But then your practical piano teacher brain is going to fight it. I guarantee it.
Here’s an example to illustrate.
Johnny plays his new assigned piece all wrong–like, ALL wrong. The syncopation is backwards. None of the accidentals were read correctly. And on top of all that, his left hand was in the wrong position the entire time making it physically difficult to listen to.
A red flag (ok, several red flags) pop up in your piano teacher brain. Yikes! So many things we need to fix! Your mouth opens to start listing them off so we can get this piece fixed ASAP…but you remember your new mindset question: How can I facilitate a feeling of “I can’t wait to go home and try this!” in my student right now?
Ok, we can do this. So, you pause and think. “Well, Johnny clearly worked hard on this piece. And that’s a win! And he seems very enthusiastic about the bombastic opening line. I’ll hop on another piano and we’ll play that line back and forth and have some fun with it! Maybe we’ll improvise a little and try different octaves. He’ll love that.”
You begin to open your mouth, and practical piano teacher brain interrupts: “Um, excuse me…you’re just going to ignore all of those wrong notes and rhythms?! Hello! How is he going to learn if you don’t correct him? What if he picks this song for the recital? How embarrassing! You have a reputation to uphold after all.”
Winning the Mental Battle
So, you see how our practical brain will fight us.
But when you start with making music first, and then sneak in some gentle corrections along the way, (or, better yet, give the student a chance to discover their mistakes and fix them or ask about them!) the overwhelming sentiment upon leaving the lesson is:
“That was fun! I can’t wait to show Dad!”
instead of
“Wow, I thought I had that song but I was wrong about everything. Maybe piano just isn’t my thing.”
Which Johnny do you think will go home and fill his living room with the sounds of the piano tonight?
Some Red Flags Are Tougher
Some of the red flags I mentioned, like a student gradually closing off to you, are harder to shift.
It is possible that a student has also been focusing on the negative for quite some time and is discouraged–perhaps ready to quit piano altogether.
You should still ask yourself the question: How can I facilitate a feeling of “I can’t wait to go home and try this!” in my student right now?
But know that if the red flag has been brewing for a while, it may take some time and experimentation and listening to shift the overall mood of the piano lessons.
Remember, you don’t need to diagnose and fix your student (i.e. being the problem-solver).
Your job is simply to be the creative facilitator.
So keep using that wonderful piano teacher imagination, reading piano teacher blogs (which you’re doing right now!) and books to get fresh ideas, attend workshops, talk to other teachers…
And don’t give up! The role of the creative facilitator gets more natural and more rewarding with time.
Students Crossing the Level 3-4 Bridge
I have an article all about why so many students quit or lose interest towards the end of Level 3, often in their middle school or teen years.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy reading that one.
Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment to let me know you made it to the end!