INSTRUCTION PHILOSOPHY
It is our philosophy that music is as important as any other activity and that equal
attention is given when their time is split between activities.
We feel that it is the PARENTS' responsibility to make sure that they give
their child every opportunity to succeed in their music lessons. Many
parents expect their child to automatically WANT to practice, and have
the motivation to do so. This is OFTEN not the case. (See Practice
section below.)
The
following are several misconceptions people often have regarding music lessons (taken from John M. Zeigler, Ph. D.,
www.pianoeducation.org/pnolsmis.html) and to which we subscribe:
"It's okay to start lessons without making a commitment to them."Many
people don't realize that lessons undertaken without commitment almost
always lead to failure. Lessons take real time and involvement on the
part of teachers, students and parents. A new student should assume
that, to be successful, he will have to devote just as much time to
practice and lessons as he would give to a school team sport. Just as
with a sport, playing piano requires both knowledge and skill. You can
get the knowledge by study, but can get the skill only by practice.
"Somehow
my children will find time for lessons and practice, even though they
are scheduled with activities every day of the week."Given
the amount of time (not to mention psychological) commitment needed to
be successful in learning to play the piano (see above), an overly
scheduled child or adult student will find it difficult to be
successful learning piano for sheer lack of time. Consider if you
really have the time to commit at least an hour per day to effective
practice.
"Paying for the lessons is all the piano parent must do."Just
as parental involvement is important to a child's success in school,
his/her success in piano lessons will require support from the parents.
The teacher will provide information, technique and encouragement.
However, remember that the teacher only sees the student for 30 to 60
minutes per week, while the parents spend most of the non-school hours
with him. If the parents don't see to it that their children practice
and attend lessons regularly, the teacher's effort will likely be for
naught, no matter what her skills as a teacher. Even more helpful to
lesson success is regular interest and encouragement of their children
from parents.
"I
couldn't come to the lesson (or practice the piano), because I had a
(football, baseball, basketball, soccer, track, hockey, lacrosse, etc.)
(practice, game)."
Piano
teachers hear these statements so often that it's practically
impossible to list all the variations. In the end, they all come down
to students and parents placing a higher priority on these alternative
activities than on piano. All of us must make decisions everyday about
how we will use our time. However, we can hardly hold a school teacher
responsible for our failure to learn (and the resulting F grade) if we
don't attend class regularly or do any of the homework. The same is
true for piano. The difference is that you're wasting your own money,
not just that of the taxpayers, if you take that view with regard to
piano lessons.
"An hour of practice a day" (or the time the teacher suggests -- my addition) is just a suggestion."
You
can either "practice" or you can practice. Too many people think that,
if an hour of practice is required, that a half hour is almost as good
and that half hour can be spent watching TV while "practicing." Real
practice requires both mental and physical devotion, in which you don't
simply repeat mistakes, but correct them before proceeding on. One
expert pianist I know says that you should practice a problem area
until you can do right ten times for every time you do it wrong. It's
not the amount of time you spend, but how well you use the time that
counts. If you practice several hours a day and simply repeat the same
mistakes each time through, you have not practiced effectively... In
passing, allow me to note that failure of the student to practice
properly and adequately is the single biggest item that piano teachers
note as contributing to the failure of lessons.
"I'll wait to practice until just before the next lesson."
Piano
teachers hear this one often. Imagine what a sports coach would say if
his teams took this view. Playing piano is a skill and, as such, must
be constantly refined and developed. You simply can't learn by only
practicing just before the lesson.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If we
find that the child is not practicing, and this is on a consistent basis, I
will ask if piano lessons is truly appropriate for them. We will do our best to work with a child to
find songs that he/she might enjoy; however, we do not want to be paid to
practice with your child, and we feel it is not a good use of your time, money,
and also my time (particularly if we have a waiting list of children wanting to
take lessons). If we feel that the student has not given consistent time to
practice, we will assume that his schedule is too full and not enough commitment
has been given to learning the piano or sharpening his/her skill. We will speak with you regarding this if we
feel this is the case and suggest that lessons be discontinued.
If these Policies and Philosophy are agreeable to you, and you would like to inquire about piano or trumpet lessons, click here.