Polyphony.

Q. I often hear teachers comment on performances of other teachers' students in a positive way, impressed with the students' ability to perform musically, with security, and with seeming personal involvement and enjoyment. This applies to most students in the studio. Do you have any insights here?

A. One of the most important aspects of teaching, in my opinion, is for a student not to perform in public until he or she is fully ready. This involves much more than thorough and secure memorization, and yet memory often is at the heart of many problems. A student, and especially a precollege student, who has not securely memorized a solo work well before a performance will not be able to play with the inner listening and concentration needed, as well as with confidence and personal involvement. For most average students this means a solo work on piano should be solidly memorized at least one month before a public performance. This is a generalization, of course. The length and complexity of the piece, as well as the student's personal circumstances, always cause the teacher to consider carefully. Nevertheless, too often we hear of students who finished memorizing a piece the week before it's performed.

In many colleges and universities the norm is that a piano piece should be solidly memorized and at performance level one month before the actual performance. This gives the student added time to practice performing the selection many times in an effort to simulate an actual performance where he is communicating the music to a wider audience than in the private lesson. It gives time for any uneasiness to work itself out and for the memory to become even more secure.

Q. Still, the students of some teachers just seem to be successful in every way.

A. Repertoire choice, in my opinion, is one key to this. In general, students study or continue studying piano because of the repertoire they get to play, not because of us--the teachers. If this is not the case, perhaps the teacher gradually can change the situation. Let the music itself be the first motivator for the student; find pieces with which the student will connect. Many teachers devote substantial time to selecting the repertoire for each student. This can include supplementary materials to method books (sometimes from contrasting method series or publishers); inviting, pedagogically sound and motivating solos; and musically sound literature from contrasting music periods. It includes more rather than fewer pieces, since the student who moves through literature at a reasonable pace will have pieces at her disposal to perform easily. It involves not over challenging a student with repertoire that is much too difficult, yet providing reasonable challenges to a student so playing does grow.

Another key is to teach to the individual student. We work with each student's unique personality and strengths. Techniques and motivational strategies that apply to the personality of one student may not be successful with another student and, as teachers, we are highly sensitive. We identify their learning styles and support the students in their strengths. We find what is right with a student's playing and identify that, all the while working on the next steps to be dealt with in any repertoire piece. We celebrate what is working with each student and also teach from the perspective of what needs the most work at any one time.

It is important students play whatever they play well, at a high musical level. Equally important is they feel good about their playing, at whatever stage of advancement. Building student esteem is at the center of all teaching, in my opinion. I generally will not allow a student to perform in public unless I am certain they will play well and be proud of what they have accomplished. Then the focus purely is to communicate the meaning of the music itself to the audience as convincingly as possible. This is backed by many studio class or performance class practice performances to build concentration, inner listening, control and other skills to support a live performance.

Q. What role does fear play in a student losing interest in music study? Is it fear of lessons, fear of not pleasing the teacher or parents, fear of performance, fear of peer pressure, fear of looking bad, fear of not being popular, of not being "good enough," fear of not having enough time for another activity and music lessons or what?

A. You hit the nail on the head. Some personal, perceived or real, fear almost always is at the center of a student's loss of interest. This can be applied also to life in general. Many, even most, students hold personal fears of inadequacy that undermine their ability to move forward. If unrecognized and not addressed by a skilled teacher, often the student may discontinue lessons prematurely. Everyone ceases formal weekly lessons at some point in his life, but the important point is to identify the true reason for stopping lessons. Lessons discontinued because of one of the fears mentioned above, or others, often can be prevented. We all have personal fears, but dealing with them with the help of a teacher or other individual is essential for personal and musical growth to continue.

Q. How does one know when to leave a piece?

A. This is a difficult question to address because so many variables exist with students. In addition, teachers have so many different reasons for selecting a piece of music that the issue becomes complex. This response will deal with the most prevalent situations in teaching. In large part, I believe almost all repertoire selected for students should be learned up to tempo. This may be questioned by some individuals, but, in general, the music performer cannot communicate the emotion inherent in the piece effectively, unless the piece is played relatively up to tempo. Most pieces have a range of tempi at which they effectively can be performed, but the range is rather relatively narrow, and a proper tempo always preserves the composer's original character and intent for the music. Sometimes I will tell a student that the most important thing is for the "personality" of the music to be expressed. In addition, the student should play with appropriate style and musical phrasing. Some pieces will be learned to a stage of high artistic skill and refinement, and some pieces will be learned musically well, up to tempo and with the music. The teacher or student may or may not return to these pieces later.

Certainly, not all piano repertoire needs to be memorized. Repertoire such as selections from the Gurlitt Album for the Young, Op. 140 perhaps should be learned in four or so weeks. This is just a thumbnail guide, but can provide a point of reference. Most method book pieces should take two to three weeks perhaps, although again, one will find fine pedagogues with a range of responses here.

Q. How do we maintain high standards with high school students who seem to practice piano less and less, all the while having active social involvement with their peers? The tendency is to learn only one or two pieces in a semester or even a year.

A. Jana Kratz Ritchie, a teacher in the Atlanta area, told me of an experiment she used in her studio. One summer she had her students learn a piece only in the private lessons; they did not take it home to practice. Her intent was to model appropriate practice strategies, as well as gain more insight into each student's learning traits and her functional piano skills. What an invigorating approach this can be for students who believe they cannot find time to practice in a certain period of the semester. The student's esteem can be maintained throughout this limited time where weekly practice on the in-lesson piece(s) is not expected. The student can even look forward to the lesson, if the teaching situation is structured appropriately, to see just how much he is able to accomplish on a piece by using refined practice strategies. Student self-esteem will begin to lag when she believes she is not accomplishing what she expects.

We generally need to meet the student where he is and work from there. Spending four or six weeks working with a student on how to practice and applying those skills to a new piece during a "crunch" time is a tactic that can be turned into a positive one for the student in terms of esteem, maintaining interest in music study and developing strong practice skills that can be applied during later "crunch" times by the student alone.

Send Us Your Questions

Do you have a teaching question you would like to have answered? Perhaps you have a practice tip for students you would like to share or a studio idea you are trying differently this year. Questions and other items may be sent to: American Music Teacher, Attn: Polyphony; 441 Vine St., Ste. 505, Cincinnati, OH 45202-2811; fax [phone]; or e-mail to [e-mail].

Wanted: Teaching Tips

MTNA has a website feature devoted to teaching tips. Please share with us some of your favorite tried-and-true ideas. Send your tips to: MTNA, Attn: Teaching Tips, 441 Vine St., Ste. 505, Cincinnati, OH 45202-2811; fax [phone]; or e-mail to [e-mail].

Jane Magrath, NCTM, is internationally known as a pianist, author, clinician and teacher She is professor and director of piano pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.