PPP174: Nicole Douglas shares how we play piano with our brain

06Jan 2020 by Shelly Davis

It is my joy to bring Nicole Douglas back to the podcast for another insightful interview. We first met Nicole in episode 085. In that interview, Nicole briefly shared some of her research on underlying issues that our piano kids might be dealing with. Today she is back to tells us more.

Some people say we play the piano with our hands. Some people say we play with our arms. If you go deeper still, you will see that we play the piano with our brain. So it’s in our best interest to create an environment that works with the brain and not against it.

Listen to the full episode here

Behavior is a symptom of an underlying belief

Generally speaking, we can assume students want to do well. Behavior is often not conscious and not a reflection of how people feel about us. Trying to ask a student to learn something when their brain is not in optimal shape means some of our efforts will fall by the wayside. This helps me not take others’ behaviors personally and also motivates me to look at underlying causes to try to solve the issue rather than just put a bandaid on it for the moment. It’s in my best interest to maximize my teaching time, which means it’s in my best interest to address the root causes. This isn’t meant to be selfish at all–it’s more like if I want to help the most people in the least amount of time so I can help more people, then it helps to make the learning environment as effective and efficient as I can.

For more reading on this subject, check out Dr. Norman Doidge books, “The Brain that Changes Itself” and “The Brain’s Way of Healing”.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

I love that this pyramid model is simple and I can picture it in my head when issues arise with a student. I can quickly run through it in my head during a lesson to brainstorm immediate temporary solutions and longer-term solutions during the week. Going through this model helps me when talking to parents who are feeling defensive, too.

Nicole shared more about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in her guest blog at Music Educator Resources.

Three Studio Scenarios

The student who is constantly looking for approval or reassurance.
The student who feels threatened and hides under the piano bench.
The student who is easily frustrated when he makes mistakes playing the piano.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

My Feelings Card Set

Tonara

Piano Maestro

Final Thoughts

If you drill down all these motivations, one of the core beliefs is that we all just want to feel like we are enough. We want to feel loved and accepted. We want to know that when we are learning a new skill, how we perform does not change how people treat us or what people think about us. Deep down we are still the same person who deserves to be loved, no matter what. If we truly believe that about ourselves and about others, we can reach our potential in ways we never could have otherwise.

If you’d like to hear more from Nicole, she will be presenting at the Music Ed Connect Conference January 31.

Thanks for listening!

To share your thoughts:

Leave a note in the comment section below
Ask a question at pianoparentpodcast@gmail.com
Share this show on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest

To help out the show:

leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews help other piano parents and teachers find the show.
Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Podbean, or your favorite podcast player.