Encouraging the reluctant student.

There are many ways to encourage reluctant learners. If teachers teach for musical understanding, students will learn musical skills to last a lifetime. Some specific skills are:

1: Technique--Finger coordination, phrasing (including shaping phrases), legato and ability to make music through proper technical preparation.

2: Keyboard Knowledge.

3: Rhythm--Use of a metronome is key. Students should be writing counts in music and counting aloud.

4: Sight reading--Very important on an ongoing basis.

5: Transposition.

6: Harmonization.

7: Improvisation.

8: Complete Theory Training.

9: Ensemble Planning.

10: Complete literature from all periods.

I review and reinforce all these skills in every lesson. I want to make sure the student understands what he is doing rather than just playing pieces. I keep assignment notebooks and write down every assignment, and I think teachers need to assign enough material so students can establish good practice habits from the beginning. Students also should be assigned material to sight read during the week, and they should have material at various levels (easy, moderate and challenging).

There are several stages of learning. First, students read the material, then they work on the piece and finally they polish and memorize it. Students should be working on literature in each of these phases. We need to set specific goals (both long-and short-term) to ensure a sense of progress, and we must teach students how to practice and accomplish goals.

When students accomplish desired goals, I "praise, praise, praise!" I give them stickers and prizes and tell them they are very special to have accomplished so much. This helps students feel successful and ready to achieve the next goal. I want them to become confident, secure and able to move on to the next level of learning and performance.

Remarks by Alice Hammel

I believe if a student is given everything she needs to learn, such as appropriate literature, excellent teaching and all the accommodations and modification necessary for musical growth, she will develop from a reluctant into an independent, or accomplished, learner.

The first lesson with a student is obviously an important milestone in the teacher-student relationship. As educator Harry Wong wrote in his book, First Days of School, "The first day is the only day you can never experience again." With this in mind, I developed a pre-teaching interview for parents and students. In this interview, I ask about relationships and situations experienced by the student on a weekly basis. These include school and home experiences, as well as social situations and relationships with teachers. I believe all students are the product of their cumulative life experiences, and understanding these experiences and the effect they have is key to developing a teaching and learning plan.

It is important to maintain a willingness to teach all students and create an inviting and nurturing studio environment. If a student is reluctant to learn, something is blocking his innate desire because very few children truly have no interest in learning. I often call other teachers to talk about students. I find "brainstorming" an effective way to create modifications to teaching styles and procedures. Often, other teachers can help create solutions and give advice based on their own past experiences.

If a student seems reluctant to learn, we need to try to understand why. Reluctant learners may find the cost and risk of becoming engaged in the learning process more than they are willing to pay. Reasons for this include a fear of failure, past negative experiences, fear of disappointing parents, a belief that other activities are more important, possible over-scheduling in their lives or a perception that practicing is too overwhelming an experience to undertake.

Intellectually or musically gifted students may not have prior experience working through difficult situations. This lack of experience may make the first few difficult situations very frustrating. Teachers who take the time to teach students how to overcome difficulties, work through frustrations and allow students to succeed will help develop independent learners.

Some reluctant learners have not had teachers show a personal interest in them. I talk to students about their interests (both musical and nonmusical), pets, favorite colors, family members and other activities in their lives. I use a multi-modal--visual, aural and kinesthetic--approach to learning that increases me possibility of student understanding and interest. I use hands-on activities, CDs, color-coding music, visualization and a blank-score concept that adds musical elements as they are learned to increase student interest and sense of accomplishment. I also celebrate each small success, whether musical or non-musical. Moreover, I teach problem-solving skills and practice techniques in lessons to provide students a scaffold for independent practice.

It is important to remove stress from the lesson and practice environment by providing all the necessary tools in an organized manner. I convey my expectations and the necessary thought processes and practice structures for performance and mastery of assignments. I take large assignments and break them into small pieces to raise the probability of student success. I assign material I know a student can learn and let students help determine the amount of material assigned. I provide written and verbal schedules for students during lessons to reduce stress and increase a feeling of partnership in the learning process. I also individualize books, lessons and my teaching style to accommodate each student. Sometimes, reluctant learners need frequent, short lessons, for example two fifteen-minute lessons rather than one thirty-minute lesson per week, and several short practice periods rather than one long practice session. These techniques may decrease frustration levels.

True joy and independence in musical performance can be achieved with reluctant learners. Teachers and students need to form partnerships when choosing literature, planning lesson structure and developing practice techniques. As Jim Byo put it, we, as music teachers, are working to increase the possibility that "left to their own devices, they will practice in the manner most conducive to the development of the accomplished musician." When teachers structure lessons for success, students know what to expect and what is expected of them. When teachers allow students to become true partners in the learning process, reluctance often fades and independence emerges.

Jane Smisor Bastien has become synonymous with piano pedagogy. With more than 300 books to their credit, the Bastiens have inspired millions of teachers and piano students worldwide. Bastien currently teaches students of all ages and abilities in her home in La Jolla, California.

Alice M. Hammel, a leader in the field of special learners and music, is the director of educational programs for Musicate. Hammel holds a D.M.A. degree from Shenandoah University, an M.M. degree, from- Florida State University and a B.M.E. degree from Shenandoah Conservatory