| As I scan internet articles and blogs about piano | | | | play the piano is going to be easy and will always be |
| practicing, I am always amazed at how many people | | | | fun. |
| write about and are searching for ways to make | | | | Well, it's not. As every piano teacher worth their salt |
| practicing fun. Speaking as a professional pianist and | | | | knows, the time will quickly come when the concepts |
| piano teacher, I've found practicing interesting, | | | | and skills needed to continually improve as a student |
| challenging, frustrating, thought-provoking, at times | | | | pianist will become more difficult to grasp. And if the |
| boring, often exhilarating, and enjoyable... but I've | | | | teacher is challenging them to improve with every |
| never thought of it as being fun. | | | | lesson (as they should be), soon every student will |
| What have I missed here? I've studied with several | | | | have to begin to do some real practicing. When this |
| world-class (I mean truly world-class) teachers, and I | | | | happens, many students begin to slack off in their |
| can't remember them ever suggesting that practicing | | | | practicing. In search of fun, they begin to play what |
| should or could be fun. They've definitely taught me | | | | is familiar over and over again thinking it to be |
| about the joy of playing the piano... but fun? I don't | | | | practicing, and ignore what is challenging. But this is |
| remember that lesson. So why it is that so many | | | | not practicing. It's more like messing around. And |
| people... teachers, students and parents... are putting | | | | unless the teacher knows how to intervene and |
| out so much effort striving to make practicing fun? | | | | teach good practicing habits and ensure that they are |
| To me, an activity is "fun" when there is instant | | | | being put into use when the student practices at |
| gratification. It's fun to go to the beach and swim in | | | | home, it is likely that the student's unconscious quest |
| the ocean. It's fun to play games. It's fun to talk with | | | | for "fun" will continue unabated until their progress |
| my friends. But practicing? It doesn't feel the same | | | | comes to a grinding halt, boredom sets in, and |
| to me. With practicing, the gratification is usually | | | | thoughts of quitting piano study take over. |
| delayed because I am striving for a goal that most | | | | Teachers who continue to push the "fun" button with |
| often I will not reach immediately. I have learned | | | | their students are (perhaps unwittingly) setting their |
| through long experience that the reward... the | | | | students up for eventual failure. Instead of spending |
| gratification from piano practicing... will eventually | | | | so much time trying to make practicing fun, they |
| come, but most often it will come tomorrow or the | | | | should be helping the student make the long |
| next week or month. | | | | transition from fun practicing to understanding that |
| Very young children who take piano lessons know | | | | some things like hitting a home run, winning a football |
| nothing of about delayed gratification. Their world is | | | | or soccer game or... playing the piano, take time and |
| one of instant gratification: they want everything | | | | effort. They should also begin to emphasize and |
| now - food, comfort, a warm bed, toys. But by the | | | | show through example that the joy that comes from |
| time a child can begin piano study (ages 4 or 5) they | | | | striving and succeeding as a pianist is far more |
| have begun in a simplified way to learn that some | | | | satisfying. Teachers who succeed in doing this are |
| wants can or will not be satisfied immediately. And so | | | | not only sharing with them a critical life skill - |
| in the early weeks and months of piano study, it is | | | | perseverance - but they are also giving them a |
| the teacher's responsibility to find their students' level | | | | matchless gift - the life-long love of music. |
| of maturity. For many teachers, this means they | | | | In today's "instant gratification" society, it's tough to |
| need to help their novice students make swift | | | | teach anyone to take the time to do something |
| progress so that they get a solid feeling of | | | | right... to persist. We want it all now, we don't want |
| accomplishment. There'll be quite a bit of instant | | | | to wait and we want almost everything to be "fun." |
| gratification in the initial weeks simply because at the | | | | Fun has its place in life, of course. But, with the |
| beginning level the concepts are easy to understand, | | | | exception of the earliest months of piano study, |
| and progress will often be very quick. Is this a time | | | | practicing can be interesting, challenging, frustrating, |
| of "fun" for the student? Probably. But there is a | | | | thought-provoking, at times boring, often exhilarating, |
| danger here: if teachers continue for too long to push | | | | and enjoyable. But if it's mostly "fun", then it's |
| the idea that piano practicing is "fun", novice piano | | | | probably NOT practicing. |
| students are likely to get the idea that learning to | | | | |