Piano lessons are up and running again and I am having so much fun! Students are excited about learning and about the new additions to our studio. Perhaps I should qualify that statement....everyone is excited about piano except one of my students. Let me paint the picture for you and share my dilemma with you.
This young lady is in 7th grade and has studied piano with several teachers already. She first transferred into my studio last fall. At her first lesson, I learned that she has been stuck in level 1 of her method book for several years. The problem? She simply cannot read bass clef! I have played games with her, assigned pieces that are exclusively in the bass clef, and even tried becoming the harsh teacher that I despised as a child to find what would motivate her. So far, nothing has worked.
As she returned to lessons this fall, I was told that she has now also enrolled in voice lessons with an overpriced, under-talented theater director (strictly my opinion of the teacher) and is now taking up French horn in the school band. Her opinion of her own talent is supported by her parents' numerous accolades. Sadly, her talent does not support such high praise.
Now I'm stuck trying to figure out how to proceed? At this point in her piano development, learning how to read bass clef is essential. When I pull her away from the instrument, she has the tools to figure out the note names, but it is definitely a struggle. When she searches for the notes at the keyboard, a short 8-measure piece takes nearly the entire 30-minute lesson to plow through.
Clearly, she is not practicing. I know that's the best solution to learning to read....just do it! In the light that I have already spoken with her parent about the situation and they do not seem to object to essentially wasting their money on lessons that are at a stand still, what is my next step? I don't mind taking the money (obviously), but even the most patient teacher in the world can only deal with the same issue for so long before going absolutely insane!
As an act of desperation, I finally moved her through the rest of book 1 and now we are working on the review material found in the next level of the method. At this point, I don't know who is beating their head against a brick wall -- her or me! I'm looking forward to your hearing your comments, experiences, and suggestions.
Hi Kennith,
ReplyDeleteAck! I don't envy you... been there, though, as has every teacher.
A couple of ideas... although I have NO idea whether they might work...
Duets. Could she handle a left hand part in 5-finger position? One with 3 notes in it?
Playing a right-hand piece, then copying it with the left hand. That could be by looking at bass clef notes and playing with the right hand an octave higher... maybe she could do that by recognizing intervals?
Can she sing? Would either solfedge or numbers help (do = 1, re = 2, etc.)?
Giving her something she knows already, like Twinkle or Jingle Bells. Some piano books have pieces written out 2 ways. One hand plays it first, then it's rewritten in the same key for the other hand. (Alfred adult piano books come to mind...)
Written note-naming homework. Not a lot at one time, just a small page. I used to have homework like that. The notes spelled words, which made it a little more fun.
Maybe she would respond to a lesson w/another child...
Once I had a student recital all set up, room reserved and all of that. Then recital week came and my students weren't ready. So, after freaking out about that, I decided to keep the reservation. I "conspired" with my students. We had what basically turned into a class. They played for each other, and their parents couldn't come! They LOVED it.
And I loved it, too. A student would play, always with something happening. Faster than the tempo indication, or slower ~ louder or softer, notes too long to sound bouncy, etc. After each piece, I asked the other students questions about what they heard. They were very honest! You'd be AMAZED at how fast the performer changed dynamics, tempo, etc.
Students sometimes don't accept what a teacher says because of the age difference, that fact that the teacher has played much longer, etc.
You could ask her how she would help another student to learn the bass clef.
Anyway, best of luck! Updates about this would be great!!!
Gretchen
As a teenage piano student as I would go through large parts of the year without practicing. I eventually got my Grade 9 Royal Conservatory and won just about every award there was in the local music festival. Treat the lesson as a scheduled practice and make the best of it. If you can't get consistent motivation, try for spurts of motivation. My spurts of motivation were brought on by exams and contests.
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