“The new approach I’ve adopted is about mindfulness, physical awareness and an ironclad unwillingness to accept a passage feeling difficult.”

Isn’t that a marvelous philosophy for practicing the piano, or any instrument? Not only have I underlined it and taken it to heart in my own practicing, I’ve also shared it with several students this week and used it as a launching pad for what we worked on during their lessons. The last characteristic has been the primary motivation, “an ironclad unwillingness to accept a passage feeling difficult.” Now that’s an unwillingness I’d be happy to see in all of my students!

In addition, I have had numerous students come back after participating in our big annual Christmas Recital and be extra driven to learn new music and become more skilled in their playing. There’s nothing quite like watching other students perform really cool-sounding pieces well to make you want to work harder and play better the next time. And perhaps one of the most memorable expressions of this came after our 2010 Christmas Recital when my long-time student, Isabella, exclaimed to me during the reception, “Wow. I really need to kick-it-up-a-notch!” Her comment sparked an idea and last summer we launched our first-ever Kick-It-Up-a-Notch! summer piano intensive. Just last week at her lesson she was talking about the incredible progress she made from the 2010 Christmas recital to the 2011 Christmas recital and remarked that Kick-It-Up-a-Notch! was a huge turning point for her.

As I think back on the whole process for Isabella, it’s really neat to see how one thing spurs on another, all contributing to a student’s motivation and development as a musician. You never know what great experience or event will spark the drive to do better in your child or student, so make the most of whatever opportunities you have! And, as Jason points out in another of his tips, “if you stick with it, they will get something out of it and almost surely begin to truly enjoy what they have learned.”

“Difficulties are not without their advantages. They are not to unnerve us. They are not to be regarded simply as subjects for discussion nor as grounds for skepticism and pessimism. They are not to cause inaction, but rather to intensify activity. They were made to be overcome. Above all they are to create profound distrust in human plans and energy, and to drive us to God.”

This perspective became especially relevant when I was talking with one of my students yesterday about her composition efforts. She is a gifted composer, but has been focusing on other things lately in her music studies, so it’s been over a year since she turned out a full composition. She grew frustrated this past week while trying to pull together some ideas and told me how she finally had to just take a break and spend some time praying and give it over to God. Her story reminded me of the quote, so I read it to her.

It was a huge encouragement for her to know that she’s on the right track and should press on to overcome the difficulty she’s experiencing in composing (and of course this can relate to lots of other areas of musical study as well!). It will be exciting to see if anything comes together for her by her next lesson!

Here’s my list from last year:

Talent to Treasure: Building a Profitable Music Teaching Business
Marcia K. Washburn

A second-generation piano teacher with many years of experience, Marcia Washburn sets out to help aspiring music teachers get started on the right foot. Many of the tips and principles she shares are ones that I had to learn the hard way! Although every teacher will have different approaches to the way they run their studio and do their teaching, Marcia’s book is sure to help new teachers think about issues that are all-too-often completely overlooked.

She covers a wide variety of topics, including: evaluating your motive for launching a music teaching business, preparing for the practical side of running a studio, establishing appropriate policies and practices, learning how to communicate effectively, and some of the nuts and bolts of what and how to teach. This is a great starting point for a teacher, and even experienced teachers will probably take away a few new ideas, tips, or insights that will help them become better teachers and business owners. I know I sure did!

Journey of a Thousand Miles: My Story
Lang Lang with David Ritz

A fellow piano teacher recommended this autobiography of world famous pianist, Lang Lang, at a music teachers association meeting. It was a quick read, but wow was it fascinating! I had absolutely no idea the kind of dedication and work that lies behind some of the young prodigies that emerge on the world scene. According to Lang Lang, in China it is everything to be Number One. Propelled by his father’s obsessive drive and his mother’s enduring love, that’s the pianist that Lang Lang was destined to be ever since winning his first competition at the age of five: Number One.

As a piano teacher, it was interesting to read of the different personalities of Lang Lang’s teachers and how they impacted him – either positively or negatively. Even in the cruel, critical world of competitive piano playing, Lang Lang blossomed and enjoyed music the most when his teacher, while highly qualified, was encouraging and cared about him as a person. Even though Lang Lang suffered at times because of his father’s indefatigable pressure to be Number One, I appreciated his desire to honor him and reconcile their differences. He also acknowledges that he wouldn’t be who he is today were it not for his father. Lang Lang’s story paints a vivid picture of what it looks like to be wholly devoted to a cause. Even though I love playing the piano, I am mindful that ultimately my cause is Jesus Christ. I am inspired to make my devotion to Him more of a living reality every day.

My Life with the Great Pianists
Franz Mohr with Edith Schaeffer

This book is a natural appeal for pianists, but I think it would be equally inspirational for anyone who is devoted to maximizing their impact in their given field for the glory of Jesus Christ. Some of the finer details about pianos and tuning may be lost on the non-musical reader, but the real message from this concert technician is how one person, by being skillful in their field, can gain an audience with many to make an eternal investment in their lives. I was reminded often of Proverbs 22:29, “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” I loved the little anecdotes from Mr. Mohr’s interaction with pianists Horowitz, Rubinstein, Cliburn, Gould, and others, and I came away from the book with an even greater appreciation for the beauty of this instrument – the piano – that occupies so much of my life!

>>You can see a complete list of books I read last year in my Year of Reading in Review post on the Pajama School blog.>>

The other day I was reminded, as I often am, that teaching piano is not much different than teaching skating, ballet, or juggling; skill sets and learning environments may change, but kids don’t.

So what led to this piano teaching revelation?…

On Monday, I spent the morning at the arena, teaching my daughter to skate.

My daughter is the “apple of my eye”. She is beautiful, determined, funny, and caring. She is also headstrong; never afraid to tell me how she’s feeling.

So it came as no surprise during our morning skate, that I was being somewhat berated by my little angel. She was clearly getting frustared with my process. You see, I would pick her up, place her at center ice, let her get her balance, and instruct her to skate towards me. And then, as she would skate towards me I would slowly glide backwards so she would be forced to keep skating…

>>Read the rest>>

“One thing that I have found is very helpful – and I wish that we could do it more in real life – is to focus on the solution rather than trying to define the problem. So very simply, you don’t say, ‘Basses, you’re late,’ you say, ‘Basses, we need more forward motion on that triplet.’ And so, all of a sudden, that’s not looking at the problem as ‘Those people are rushing’ or ‘Well, I thought I was in time,’ or ‘Well, these two notes take more time on the bass than they do on the cello’ – by missing the thousands of ways you could talk about the problem you focus on the one which in the end everyone has to do. There will need to be forward motion on those three notes even in the performance, even when it’s played right. So let’s start working on what’s right, from the start, and not worry about what might be the definition of what was wrong.”

What a fascinating approach. I usually spend a good deal of time with students helping them learn to identify problems and then devise appropriate solutions, but I’m intrigued by this concept. Granted, I know he is dealing with professional musicians who aren’t struggling to recognize notes moving in skips vs. steps, but I still wonder what it would look like to try this idea in my teaching… Any thoughts?

I can hardly wait to try this in my studio!

I especially love some of Mr. Lanners concluding comments:

“My student’s story suggests that perhaps the most powerful benefit of letting go occurs on a psychological level. Physical rigidity is typically an outward manifestation of a psychological state that may be as uncomplicated as nervousness in performing for others, or as complex as deep-seated feelings of inadequacy or an irrational fear of failure that may have roots in childhood trauma, family dysfunction, adult relationship difficulties, etc. While it’s unwise to play amateur psychologist, we must address the entirety of the unique individuals we teach.”

What a reminder of the incredible privilege we have of working with students one-on-one, sensitively and thoughtfully identifying and addressing their needs at multiple levels to equip them for success!

Handel hits the road! from Daria van den Bercken on Vimeo.

Daria plans to record Handel’s works next January. Her passion for his music is evident: “There have been moments in my life when certain music — more than normally — struck a chord in me and I felt this sense of incredible beauty. It happened again a while ago when playing the keyboard works of George Frideric Handel.” I look forward to keeping up with her Handel at the Piano project via Facebook and Twitter in the coming months!

(HT: Chris Foley of the Collaborative Piano Blog)

My schedule doesn’t permit me to observe other piano teachers (other than at conferences), but sometimes I think watching teachers of other instruments, or even other disciplines, can be even more beneficial because of different influences in our teaching practices.

Here, Quinn is working with my brother on his tone quality. She referenced four elements: air, earth, water, and fire. Then she had him play his piece in a way that reflected each of the elements. It was fascinating to hear the contrasts he was able to achieve with this imagery! This and lots of other aspects of her teaching give me inspiration and new ideas for working with my own students.

Does anyone else observe other teachers regularly? Do you ever make time to visit other piano teachers’ studios to watch them in action? I really want to figure out a way to incorporate more of these “masterclasses” into my schedule next year!