Today I am introducing a new feature on the podcast, a student case study. In January I started a brand new student. He didn’t transfer in from another teacher or another town. He is shiny, brand new!
Starting a brand new student comes with a lot of responsibility. Not only do I want to set him up for success with his technique and musical understanding, but I also want to build a good report with him and build his confidence and self-esteem.
Listen to the full episode here
First a little background:
I first met Ray’s family when I taught his two older brothers; Ray never came to their lessons. Great family. Respectful attentive students. Stopped lessons to transfer to another teacher more conveniently located. I don’t know if they are still with that teacher. It’s really none of my business.
Lesson:
Parents, please don’t be embarrassed to reach out to a former teacher.
Teachers, don’t take it personally when a student transfers out of your studio and certainly don’t burn any bridges. You never know what the future may hold.
Where should we start:
Ray is in the third grade. He looks like a typical all-American boy. Brown hair with a reddish tint, brown eyes, a few freckles. He is very respectful and attentive and willing to try the things I teach him.
My First Piano Adventures would be too easy and slow-moving for him.
The Piano Adventures Accelerated series might be a little overwhelming for him and move too quickly for him to grasp each concept.
I decided to accelerate the Piano Adventures Primer Lesson book and take a unit at a time.
I prefer using Just the Facts theory workbook more than the theory book from the PA series.
Where we’ve been:
When Ray first started lessons in January, his mom would stay with him. She helped us learn to communicate with each other. As all of us have become more comfortable with each other, she drops him off for his lessons and leaves to run an errand and I like the independence he is gaining.
Each lesson I would tell Ray, “I’ll tell you what you need to know and we’ll try these two songs. You can stop there or you can finish the unit. You decide.” I really like giving student bonus songs where they can decide if they will practice them or not. I like for them to work on a piece all on their own.
Lessons:
I don’t regret starting in the Primer book. I think it has served to lay a solid foundation with lots of songs to play and reinforce musical concepts and technical skills. I prefer going a little slow and letting the student set the pace over having them feel overwhelmed.
There is nothing wrong with easy. Life gets too complicated as it is.
Where we’re going:
Ray has just started the PA Level 1 Lesson book and Gold Star Performance book. At his lesson today I asked him if had worked on a bonus song from the Gold Star book. He told me, “Yes, but I didn’t like it.” I’m so glad he feels comfortable enough with me, to be honest, and tell me his musical preferences.
Now that we’ve got the basics down, we will start supplementing with additional music. My spring recital this year has a Movie Music Theme, a first for me, so Ray and I will begin working on a song that he will select and that has a bit of a challenge for him.
Lesson:
There is too much music out there to be stuck playing something you don’t enjoy.
Final Thoughts
So that is a little bit about my new student and how he is progressing. Are you interested in this topic? Would you be interested to see where Ray is in a few more months?
Let me know in the comments on the show notes or at shelly@pianoparentpodcast.com
Thanks for listening!
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