Comments on: Monday Mailbag – How to Handle Non-Practicers

By: Mike Saville

Mike Saville — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:15:17 +0000

I have had a clause in my T&Cs for many years which says ‘I reserve the right to cancel lessons if students do not practice’.

I think every teacher should say this upfront and there can then be no confusion later.

Equally however I think along with this statement is a responsibility for the teacher to show the student how to practice. All too often practice is only discussed when it hasn’t been done – that’s not good enough from the teacher. Why do we assume that students know how to practice if we don’t tell them???

I know there are many ideas for practice on this blog and I have many, many ideas of my own. A lot of my teaching time is focused on helping the student get the most out of the time between lessons. If I can’t give them the motivation and ideas they need to practice between lessons then they are better to go and find another teacher.

It is a shame that sometimes it takes a move to another teacher to realise that the problem wasn’t with the teacher but with the students attitude and approach.

We could talk for many hours about this particular topic . . . . .. as always thanks for the post!

By: Fiona

Fiona — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:07:45 +0000

This was an interesting post and a good comment too from Mindy. As a teacher and a parent I find that parents have a big role in whether practice happens or not – in a positive or a negative way! Our elder daughter loves to practise alone, while the younger daughter wants mum or dad constantly present at each practice. I think a lot of parents don’t consider that they might need to play a role in their child’s progress, even if they are not “musical” themselves.

Also I find some parents have no idea that their child is “falling behind” due to lack of practice. As a teacher I am challenged to communicate these ideas to the parents – 1) that they can and sometimes must assist in the actual practising (it is not something where the child is solely responsible) and 2)to report their progress honestly to the parents so they can see that their child could achieve more and enjoy the piano more if they practiced.

By: Mindy

Mindy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:53:45 +0000

I would ask yourself this question- Inspite of the lack of practicing, do you feel fulfilled, as a teacher, in working with the student? I have had some students, in which the amount practicing was not great, but I still gained satisfaction in working with the student. I know she can do more if she would practice, but I can overlook that. In another case, the amount of practice the student did greatly affected our teacher/student relationship to the point that I could no longer encourage or motivate her because it was all taken through the viewpoint of the student that she was never good enough or did enough. That was never my intention, of course. I had to draw a firm line and the student was not willing to go that far, so our lessons ended. It was damaging what was otherwise a very good relationship.
You don’t have to be a pushover. When families agree to take lessons, they also agree to practice. It won’t get done any other way. But you don’t have to be a big meanie either. Some weeks are good, some are bad. If you are good and consistent, your students will learn to rise to the goal and in return, gain great satisfaction from their efforts.