I think I'm beginning to sound like a broken record or CD or an mp3 file error in my piano lessons. I understand where the students are coming from and am able to recognize some habits in their playing. I wouldn't have thought of making my students play scales but in fact, YES, I am. I'm not being a tyrant about it but I have to be responsible to fix a basic technical problem: not releasing keys. I appreciate that my teachers took the time to fix this problem. There is no way to play with any clarity or speed without this.
I didn't realize how much I can't stand the sound of notes blurring together until I started teaching. I had not realized how sensitive my hearing is towards that. I think my more advanced students are surprised when I ask them to play a pentascale hands separately. One can tell so much about their playing just from that like what they consider to be good tone and good touch.
Besides not releasing keys, most do not play with a nice basic tone. They skim the keys like I used to do. I liken that type of playing to a singer with breathy tone. I don't think I can play like that anymore because it hurts my muscles! It's nostalgic to go down memory lane with my students. :)
I remember one of my teachers saying that taking lessons is narrowing the gap between what you perceive is true/correct to what your teacher hears. I'm noticing this to be true that my students evaluate and grade their playing very differently than I do. It is scary, I'm beginning to sound like my teachers!
Showing posts with label Piano teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Piano teaching. Show all posts
Friday, September 3, 2010
Thursday, December 24, 2009
New Chapter
It seems that blogging could be just another thing to keep up with. I've not been very good at keeping my blog updated. As I look back on my first semester of teaching, there are some self-observations and things to ponder.
The difficult part about teaching at this college is not mainly academic. My general observation of the students here are that they lack direction in life and are very myopic. (This is true of most freshmen and teenagers, I'm sure.) Being a community college, the lower tuition does attract students who are not as well-off financially and are not as prepared for life (much less college). I remember having a discussion with a friend about the attitude of poverty. I'm thankful for that conversation because I am now observing the effects of that attitude. The students have to work to afford school but their work schedule is affecting school. Some of my students are working 40 hrs a week and working the third shift. At the same time, there are those who are trying their hand at the slots in the casinos, spending (wasting) what little money they have. I had a student who said he's kept track of his wins at the casino and he's ahead by $20. I didn't mince words when I said, "How many hours have you spent there to make $20? I can show you a way to make $20 in one hour." Cruel of me to say that, right? Sad, that it never crossed his mind.
There are also students who have not been parented and I am in the role of a surrogate/foster mom. They have no idea how to care for themselves as they've never been cared for before. I think my An-An is privileged to be my cat. She has the best food (real fish or poultry cooked specially for her), a nice warm bed to sleep in and someone who pays her attention. Most teens do not care about their nutritional intake. I had a few students who were not eating and were not aware of the problems that this behavior will lead too. I dislike lecturing or having to step into the role of MOM but when I talk to them, their ignorance is so apparent and I shock them back into eating.
It is also my first semester teaching aural skills so it was a steep learning curve for me. I never took an aural skills class. The pedagogical challenge in teaching any subject is to present the material and concepts clearly. I discovered that most students lack a systematic approach to dealing with a problem. I am not an advocate of rules or to repeating steps for solving problems, because creative problem solving is the way to go. The students I dealt with had no idea of what exactly they needed to achieve which impedes the problem solving process. The challenge for me was to let them figure out what they could or could not do on their own. We progressed very slowly based on the textbook but we did make solid progress on some basic concepts.
As far as piano teaching went, I taught class piano and applied piano. I didn't have any piano majors (not yet). I last taught class piano at Wichita State and I modeled my syllabus after it. Towards the end of the semester I decided that since it was my class, I shouldn't allow Wichita State's syllabus to dictate the pace and materials covered. It was a sigh of relief for everyone as I postponed the teaching of the black key major scales to Class Piano II which is a new class I am establishing. For applied piano, it was expected that there would be some basic problems to solve and teaching them how a grand piano is different than an upright. I am requesting for a grand piano to be put in my studio next semester.
My other steep learning curve was with student auditions. I do have 10 free rides (tuition and books) to award and I auditioned two students this semester. One was successful, the other is pending because the parent acted inappropriately the entire audition. The student refused the offer to try out the piano which I thought was very strange. The playing was alright, not great (legato, phrasing, voicing & dynamics) but not bad (memory & pedalling). Following the audition, the parent answered every interview question I posed to the student and also openly challenged my teaching ability. I offered to give her child a lesson on her audition piece if she was so concerned that her child would have nothing to gain from studying with me. I also told them they could take my cell phone and find the numbers of several piano profs. I told them one phone call and I can set up another audition for her kid. As I walked them out, I casually asked whether she had played a grand piano before. She said she has never and I chuckled, "That explains your playing." I hated to tell them that playing on a grand is not arrogant behavior because it's like asking a Nascar driver to drive an ordinary car for a race. I will have closed auditions from now on. No one else will be allowed in the room during the audition. I regret I don't fawn over many things and I try to stay emotionally reserved (Now if you're An-An, that's a different story). I came from that afternoon totally exhausted.
I am wondering about why my college asks me to provide dinner or prelude music. I'd rather not because that is something I don't do on a regular basis. I'm neither a gig musician nor do I wish to establish that reputation without establishing my recital capabilities first. I am walking a fine line here. If they sincerely wish for a piano program at this college, then I must be a serious musician and do what most piano majors do. Besides, I want to put my best foot forward and show them what my strengths are. April 1, 2010 will be my debut faculty recital there.
So here's to a good first semester of teaching.
The difficult part about teaching at this college is not mainly academic. My general observation of the students here are that they lack direction in life and are very myopic. (This is true of most freshmen and teenagers, I'm sure.) Being a community college, the lower tuition does attract students who are not as well-off financially and are not as prepared for life (much less college). I remember having a discussion with a friend about the attitude of poverty. I'm thankful for that conversation because I am now observing the effects of that attitude. The students have to work to afford school but their work schedule is affecting school. Some of my students are working 40 hrs a week and working the third shift. At the same time, there are those who are trying their hand at the slots in the casinos, spending (wasting) what little money they have. I had a student who said he's kept track of his wins at the casino and he's ahead by $20. I didn't mince words when I said, "How many hours have you spent there to make $20? I can show you a way to make $20 in one hour." Cruel of me to say that, right? Sad, that it never crossed his mind.
There are also students who have not been parented and I am in the role of a surrogate/foster mom. They have no idea how to care for themselves as they've never been cared for before. I think my An-An is privileged to be my cat. She has the best food (real fish or poultry cooked specially for her), a nice warm bed to sleep in and someone who pays her attention. Most teens do not care about their nutritional intake. I had a few students who were not eating and were not aware of the problems that this behavior will lead too. I dislike lecturing or having to step into the role of MOM but when I talk to them, their ignorance is so apparent and I shock them back into eating.
It is also my first semester teaching aural skills so it was a steep learning curve for me. I never took an aural skills class. The pedagogical challenge in teaching any subject is to present the material and concepts clearly. I discovered that most students lack a systematic approach to dealing with a problem. I am not an advocate of rules or to repeating steps for solving problems, because creative problem solving is the way to go. The students I dealt with had no idea of what exactly they needed to achieve which impedes the problem solving process. The challenge for me was to let them figure out what they could or could not do on their own. We progressed very slowly based on the textbook but we did make solid progress on some basic concepts.
As far as piano teaching went, I taught class piano and applied piano. I didn't have any piano majors (not yet). I last taught class piano at Wichita State and I modeled my syllabus after it. Towards the end of the semester I decided that since it was my class, I shouldn't allow Wichita State's syllabus to dictate the pace and materials covered. It was a sigh of relief for everyone as I postponed the teaching of the black key major scales to Class Piano II which is a new class I am establishing. For applied piano, it was expected that there would be some basic problems to solve and teaching them how a grand piano is different than an upright. I am requesting for a grand piano to be put in my studio next semester.
My other steep learning curve was with student auditions. I do have 10 free rides (tuition and books) to award and I auditioned two students this semester. One was successful, the other is pending because the parent acted inappropriately the entire audition. The student refused the offer to try out the piano which I thought was very strange. The playing was alright, not great (legato, phrasing, voicing & dynamics) but not bad (memory & pedalling). Following the audition, the parent answered every interview question I posed to the student and also openly challenged my teaching ability. I offered to give her child a lesson on her audition piece if she was so concerned that her child would have nothing to gain from studying with me. I also told them they could take my cell phone and find the numbers of several piano profs. I told them one phone call and I can set up another audition for her kid. As I walked them out, I casually asked whether she had played a grand piano before. She said she has never and I chuckled, "That explains your playing." I hated to tell them that playing on a grand is not arrogant behavior because it's like asking a Nascar driver to drive an ordinary car for a race. I will have closed auditions from now on. No one else will be allowed in the room during the audition. I regret I don't fawn over many things and I try to stay emotionally reserved (Now if you're An-An, that's a different story). I came from that afternoon totally exhausted.
I am wondering about why my college asks me to provide dinner or prelude music. I'd rather not because that is something I don't do on a regular basis. I'm neither a gig musician nor do I wish to establish that reputation without establishing my recital capabilities first. I am walking a fine line here. If they sincerely wish for a piano program at this college, then I must be a serious musician and do what most piano majors do. Besides, I want to put my best foot forward and show them what my strengths are. April 1, 2010 will be my debut faculty recital there.
So here's to a good first semester of teaching.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
"Commercial" Practice
In teaching music, a teacher always has to struggle with getting a student to practice. While most older students will practice on their own, (given their intrinsic motivations), the much younger ones need creative ways to get them practicing.
Even though it is not the best, my students are at the stage where external motivation is most suitable. My students get a sticker on the page they pass at each lesson. Some of them earn pieces of candy as the lesson progresses dependent on the completion of each task.
I have a 7-yr old who has the hardest time practicing any of her pieces. I was beginning to really lose interest in teaching and had a hard time getting through her lesson. I asked her how much she watched tv a day and she said, "quite a bit". I asked her to do a "game" for me. Each time a commercial break occured she was to run to the piano and play through her pieces. When the programme resumed, she could stop and go back to watching tv.
I had way more progress with her than I had in weeks. As a recital approached, I found she wasn't progressing as much as needed and I checked with her on how much she was practicing. She answered, "I'm doing the commercial practice." I was pretty amazed and told her that we had to suspend the "commercial practice" for a special practice that would get her in good shape for the recital.
She took to the "regular" practicing instructions very well:
1. Sing your piece.
2. Sing and play your piece.
3. Practice measure 4-5.
4. Play whole piece with score.
5. Try it by memory.
We tried it a couple times in her lesson and she was very happy at her own progress. We wrote down the instructions in color together. She was so excited to go try this "special" practice at home. I think she saw the rewards immediately.
I guess maybe she could be weaned slowly from the "commercial practice" a term she coined. I will keep my fingers crossed.
Even though it is not the best, my students are at the stage where external motivation is most suitable. My students get a sticker on the page they pass at each lesson. Some of them earn pieces of candy as the lesson progresses dependent on the completion of each task.
I have a 7-yr old who has the hardest time practicing any of her pieces. I was beginning to really lose interest in teaching and had a hard time getting through her lesson. I asked her how much she watched tv a day and she said, "quite a bit". I asked her to do a "game" for me. Each time a commercial break occured she was to run to the piano and play through her pieces. When the programme resumed, she could stop and go back to watching tv.
I had way more progress with her than I had in weeks. As a recital approached, I found she wasn't progressing as much as needed and I checked with her on how much she was practicing. She answered, "I'm doing the commercial practice." I was pretty amazed and told her that we had to suspend the "commercial practice" for a special practice that would get her in good shape for the recital.
She took to the "regular" practicing instructions very well:
1. Sing your piece.
2. Sing and play your piece.
3. Practice measure 4-5.
4. Play whole piece with score.
5. Try it by memory.
We tried it a couple times in her lesson and she was very happy at her own progress. We wrote down the instructions in color together. She was so excited to go try this "special" practice at home. I think she saw the rewards immediately.
I guess maybe she could be weaned slowly from the "commercial practice" a term she coined. I will keep my fingers crossed.
Monday, May 2, 2005
Adjudicating Piano Festivals .. You are a candidate for "What Not to Wear"
I have just ventured into adjudicating piano festivals this year. I am glad that Winfield (Walnut Valley Music Teachers' Assoc) piano teachers remembered me and have graciously asked me to judge their students. I also adjudicated at the Ark City Middle School Festival.
I seem to have the reputation of being a nice person.. though I often feel I'm pretty hard on students. It is nerve racking at times what to say and what to write and what ratings to give. Of course in the mini masterclass settings, their parents and often very young siblings (I mean toddlers) could be in the room. I have heard of horror stories of a student not being able to take even the kindest critique and worse, having his/her parent/s jump on you.
Thankfully the comments I have received from the teachers about my rating sheets were complementary. I think after growing up in the Asian education system, I am much more careful not to attack the performer but just critic the performance. I remembered my ABRSM exams and the comments examiners gave me. They never attacked me, but they never really encouraged me either, mostly stated just as a matter of fact. I'm glad I took the time to carefully phrase my sentences and choose my words. I almost wanted copies of all my own rating sheets so I could see which words I overused (perhaps I still do). I hope I addressed the problem (if present) and offered enough comments/suggestions for the student & teacher to ponder. I dislike it when my students get comments that leave us nowhere to go.
I framed my comments in the context of whether the student displayed a basic understanding of the piece they were presenting. I didn't really care whether it was as fast as it should be (they were just in middle school) but I wanted to hear clear balance, some understanding of the technique required, some sense of phrasing and musical style. I found the most difficult task was giving an actual number rating. I hope my comments justified the rating I gave.
At times, I couldn't help but notice the stage etiquette. I think I lived with a theater costumer enough that I hope her great dress sense rubbed off on me. My favorite two comments that I wrote and may get me really famous in Winfield are:
"Your choice of footwear interferes with pedalling" She was wearing flipflops and there was little control of the damper pedal marring an otherwise decent rendering of an arrangement of Mozart's Turkish March.
"Remember every performance is a formal event and it is never too young to learn to dress professionally" This kid came in with uncombed hair (a huge unstyled afro), a t-shirt, ragged jeans and dirty sneakers. He looked like he rolled out of bed straight into the concert hall.
I will reserve the comment, "You are a candidate for "What Not to Wear" on TLC Fridays 7/8 Central" for the future. So until I judge more advanced students, I will continue to ponder all these and come up with more creative ways to critique but encourage.
I seem to have the reputation of being a nice person.. though I often feel I'm pretty hard on students. It is nerve racking at times what to say and what to write and what ratings to give. Of course in the mini masterclass settings, their parents and often very young siblings (I mean toddlers) could be in the room. I have heard of horror stories of a student not being able to take even the kindest critique and worse, having his/her parent/s jump on you.
Thankfully the comments I have received from the teachers about my rating sheets were complementary. I think after growing up in the Asian education system, I am much more careful not to attack the performer but just critic the performance. I remembered my ABRSM exams and the comments examiners gave me. They never attacked me, but they never really encouraged me either, mostly stated just as a matter of fact. I'm glad I took the time to carefully phrase my sentences and choose my words. I almost wanted copies of all my own rating sheets so I could see which words I overused (perhaps I still do). I hope I addressed the problem (if present) and offered enough comments/suggestions for the student & teacher to ponder. I dislike it when my students get comments that leave us nowhere to go.
I framed my comments in the context of whether the student displayed a basic understanding of the piece they were presenting. I didn't really care whether it was as fast as it should be (they were just in middle school) but I wanted to hear clear balance, some understanding of the technique required, some sense of phrasing and musical style. I found the most difficult task was giving an actual number rating. I hope my comments justified the rating I gave.
At times, I couldn't help but notice the stage etiquette. I think I lived with a theater costumer enough that I hope her great dress sense rubbed off on me. My favorite two comments that I wrote and may get me really famous in Winfield are:
"Your choice of footwear interferes with pedalling" She was wearing flipflops and there was little control of the damper pedal marring an otherwise decent rendering of an arrangement of Mozart's Turkish March.
"Remember every performance is a formal event and it is never too young to learn to dress professionally" This kid came in with uncombed hair (a huge unstyled afro), a t-shirt, ragged jeans and dirty sneakers. He looked like he rolled out of bed straight into the concert hall.
I will reserve the comment, "You are a candidate for "What Not to Wear" on TLC Fridays 7/8 Central" for the future. So until I judge more advanced students, I will continue to ponder all these and come up with more creative ways to critique but encourage.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Trouble with travelling so much
*sigh* I wonder how I'm going to keep my private students happy. I have had to move their lessons around so many times these couple months. My audition at U of Nebraska-Lincoln was postponed to the next week meaning I have to reschedule everyone for this week and next week again. There are two more auditions coming up and no more weekends available until April. I have two conferences I will need to present at. I am also going to have to move at the end of March, so there goes Easter weekend.
Lucky me!
I may never get to fully unpack my suitcase until April except for changing the clothes I put in. I'm so thankful for a laptop. It makes travelling, editing papers and keeping in touch much easier. (I love wireless connections.)
It's also very difficult for me to find another part-time job since I'm gone so much. I don't think my employers would understand. So far, I've two interviews. I was hired in Jan but never called to work. I am waiting for word on my last interview which was on Monday.
I hope gas prices come down and that I would be able to afford all these trips I'm taking. I may have another job and may have a cheaper place to stay. I'm thinking of bunking with a friend for the next couple months and just see where things lead to.
Lucky me!
I may never get to fully unpack my suitcase until April except for changing the clothes I put in. I'm so thankful for a laptop. It makes travelling, editing papers and keeping in touch much easier. (I love wireless connections.)
It's also very difficult for me to find another part-time job since I'm gone so much. I don't think my employers would understand. So far, I've two interviews. I was hired in Jan but never called to work. I am waiting for word on my last interview which was on Monday.
I hope gas prices come down and that I would be able to afford all these trips I'm taking. I may have another job and may have a cheaper place to stay. I'm thinking of bunking with a friend for the next couple months and just see where things lead to.
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