Polyphony.

Q How do I teach the sheer joy of accomplishment?

A We can reflect the joy of accomplishment in our attitudes toward music practice, music lessons, the entire process of learning a piece from beginning to end. Is there change each step of the way when studying a piece or learning about music, for these small changes can bring joy? Ultimately, in our teaching, do we exude a feeling that the working out of a piece of music can be enjoyable (fun) and work at the same time? Or do we model the philosophy that one should work very, very hard and then find joy in the end product? Can something require concentration, analysis and repetition producing small changes and careful listening and bring joy at the same time? Is it enjoyable to work in-depth and to discover and hear changes?

Joy comes from the inside, and it can be shared with others. While we cannot make another feel joy, we can model a positive attitude and state throughout the entire process of learning a piece of music. As teachers we can enthuse and inspire. We can avoid talking about how much work it takes to learn a piece, instead discussing the joys in the process of learning a piece: the discoveries, the changes, the small "aha" moments, as well as the large ones.

It is important for students to understand that work can be fun and bring joy. In a single private lesson each week over a period of four or five years, imagine what one teacher can do to establish an attitude in a student. Perhaps not all students are so positively affected, but many catch "the bug." Many activities in life require focus, attention, concentration and time--but who says they should not be enjoyable at the same time, even in accomplishing something step by step.

I remember always loving to practice and play the piano, each step of the way. Practicing never was a chore or, in more advanced years, work for me, despite the many hours I put in. Yet, I do remember an instance in my life where "work" did become distasteful. Periodically in my adolescent years, I was asked to polish my car. For me to rub a car's metal hood to make it shiny had no meaning or joy in the process whatsoever. It was work and only work, and I never saw the value. I made a chore out of it, and never since have I waxed a car by hand. I'm sure you can think of similar activities that were made out to be work only. As teachers, we must be certain that we never make piano practice out to be only work or a chore for our students. It is important to point out student accomplishments along the way. Students constantly can be shown where the small joys lie and reminded to enjoy the process of making music. As teachers we can only do so much, but often, that is a great deal.

I have run into a wonderful article by Teresa Dybvig titled "Fun" on her piano website at www.teresadybvig.com under "Articles." Check it out. She believes in the coexistence of depth in music study and fun. Her fresh writing and attitude may inspire many of us to abolish the "synthetic dividing line between art and work" and to inspire students to "have fun being on top" of a playing issue.

Q How can you teach your students to use correct fingering?

A Good fingering practices grow through habit and careful work over a period of months and years. Students who use poor fingering often are careless in their approach to their practice and perhaps to other parts of their lives. They may lack a discipline and orderly approach to practice or other activities.

With beginning students, strong fingering practices can be established through the study of five-finger patterns first (seeing the logic of a five-note hand position), and later through the study of scales, arpeggios and broken chords. Let students understand the logic of a fingering given. Perhaps let them see two different ways to finger a scale, and then determine which is most logical. During repertoire study, discuss the fingerings in the score. Be willing together to change a fingering that might not suit their hand to a better one in that instance, and to allow the student to write in additional key finger numbers to allow hand position shifts to be noted in the playing. Discuss fingering as the student's playing and repertoire grow in difficulty, and from time to time, introduce pieces in the lesson solely to be planned and fingered--that is, prepared for practice. So often we discuss fingerings only when a problem arises.

With a transfer student, a teacher needs to be constant and consistent in emphasizing fingerings that enhance smooth hand shifts and crossings. Finger crossings extend the hand span--do our students understand this? Sometimes the student with poor skills may have played only a few pieces or may have played pieces that were too difficult for his skill level or practice time. So many decisions needed to be made and so many difficulties mastered that the sheer complexity of what he was trying to do meant that he could not master the fingering issues. Some students will need to start with slightly easier pieces to plan fingering, write in unusual fingerings and mark those that need special attention. Since skillful fingering makes playing a piece easier and consistency in fingering leads to quicker learning of a piece, time spent demonstrating this to a student in a lesson often can have strong results.

With many transfer students, working on technique and technical patterns to learn fingerings for common scales with crossings, arpeggios and basic etudes consisting of broken chords and other frequently used technical patterns can help solidify the patterns in the hand. Our hands rely on technical patterns and figurations (with correct fingering) that were set up in earlier study. Generally, practice and study of a series of patterned studies can begin to set traditional fingerings for various patterns in a student's hand.

Do our students know some of the following principles of fingering in piano playing? Maintain a five-finger position when possible. Finger in handfulls. If all things are equal, use strong fingers in preference to weak ones. Decide on the best possible finger and never depart from it. Climaxes should be played with stronger fingers. Use scale fingering as a starting point. Fingering should always help phrasing. Use fingering practiced in technique far broken chords and arpeggios, ending with as complete a hand group as possible. Plan the interval gap on the keyboard to occur between the thumb and a finger rather than between two fingers.

What if a teacher selects one different piece each week--for 8 to 10 consecutive weeks--and asks the student during the lesson to plan and write in the fingering, and then to play the piece with that fingering? Perhaps your student may need to do this with one line of music only in the beginning to see groupings and along with this, practice five-finger patterns to increase finger strength and dexterity, and practice scales and arpeggios to learn traditional patterns and fingering models to work on. We start where the student is and work from there. What do jazz pianists study early in their curricula but jazz scale fingerings, to learn the patterns to execute when playing the music.

Good fingering is at the heart of excellent piano playing. It makes sense to find the most efficient plan and use it. Most of all, students need to decide on the best possible fingering and never depart from it. Intelligent fingering makes a work much easier to play that with unplanned fingering. We want to be sure our students understand this and experience examples of it in their own repertoire.

Q What are some time-management skills for overscheduled students and teachers?

A Consistency of practice is the most important point. It is more important for a student to practice shorter amounts and practice every day than to practice only once or twice during a week. It helps students to know what to do when they practice. "Begin by working this 5-finger warm up three times ascending and descending, with a smoothly planned crescendo and decrescendo, in all major and minor keys, chromatically. Listen for ... Correct what does not seem to be right by practicing even more slowly and ... Then ... You will then want to...." This gives the student a plan not only for what to practice, but how to practice during the time allotted. Be certain that the music assigned is appropriate for the student to learn in three weeks for most elementary students. When the student is cycling in new pieces and cycling out older ones performed at a high level, then there is a sense of accomplishment and progress felt by the student.

Some teachers give their students an idea of what time of day she believes will work best for a student. Having a time in the day that the student will practice enhances the likelihood that it will happen. I know of one teacher who asks for the child's weekly schedule, and then helps to pencil in prospective practice times. This is shared with the parent as well as the student. Ultimately, the parent should be held accountable for the consistency of a child's practice in the elementary school years, since the child needs parental help structuring the day. And the teacher can help the parent realize that a child may truly be over scheduled.

Q What do you do, as a teacher, when your student would rather have most of the lesson devoted to theory/music history?

A In our field, we are fortunate that when teaching private lessons, we focus on teaching the individual student. So, we teach her as an individual. I would assess the student's reasons for this, but in all likelihood, go with it. If a student is asking for something, I like to guide her to what she believes she needs. The student may be asking for this as a way of expressing a need for a temporary change in the lesson structure. She may not want to practice the music we are assigning with as much regularity. Or, she may be fascinated with music history and/or music theory and want more in-depth study. It does not mean that the focus of the lessons will always remain this way. Too, we can also make changes in the future.

It may take some research on the teacher's part to find in-depth materials, but some excellent study books, texts and workbook materials have been authored for these purposes. Also, do not over-look the possibility of using computer-assisted programs as well, some of which are quite good. Finding a curriculum or designing one to work with the student from week to week can provide an intriguing and illuminating challenge. This is an invitation to investigate the libraries of the music publishers, as well as to find additional materials that may be helpful to the student. In time, the student may ask to study new repertoire to balance out the lesson. It is my instinct to listen to the student and keep her engaged.

Be open to introducing music composition to the student at this point. Perhaps give structured composition assignments to be completed during the week. Ear training also can be incorporated. The activity of re-designing the student's weekly lesson and practice sessions can be enriching and deepening for all involved.

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].

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, Oklahoma.