“That was the easiest piece I have ever played!”
Being a teacher of any subject or skill is not easy. Many days, we feel our student’s frustrations and struggles and take them on as our own. However, on the days when a student “gets it”, has an “a ha!” moment, or rejoices in their triumph, you remember why you got into this career in the first place. Being able to share your passion and knowledge with another human being and having them appreciate and actually thrive in that knowledge creates a high unlike any other, if you take the time to acknowledge “the win.”
And so goes the story behind today’s quote. This student had been at the studio for a little over a year, with successful practice weeks and not-so-successful practice weeks, as any student does…and he had officially entered his “trouble zone.”
This is a term that I have come up with to describe the point when it becomes necessary for students to really put some work in during their practice sessions between lessons. The point in which students find that they can no longer confidently sit down and just play the songs that they are given because the concepts and techniques needed to perform do not just happen inherently. It happens at a different point for every student.
I could tell that he was really struggling with the pieces in his assignments and his motivation was truly waning. While he wasn’t the most necessarily diligent practicer in the studio, he truly was trying. So what is a teacher to do? At this point I had the choice to continue to make him trudge through the mud in his assigned pieces or give him a “winner” piece. I chose the latter because some days you need to stop banging your fists against the wall. So winner piece it was.
What is a winner piece? I consider a piece a winner when it sets the student up for a win. Typically I choose a pattern based piece, which is easier to read and therefore boosts confidence. It is even better if the piece include “lots of notes” on the page so that it gives the illusion of difficulty due to sheer number of note heads. Also, I like to use pieces that use chord progressions that move outside of the typical chord progressions (I, IV, V, I). I love pieces that incorporate a bit of minor, perhaps with a ii or vi chord or perhaps a suspended chord or two to make the harmonies sound more diverse and therefore more “advanced” or “cool.” In other words, deceptively simple+ sounding cool=winner.
Whenever I utilize one of these pieces, I change up my introduction. I want the student to really focus on what they know and can accomplish. So instead of identifying the challenges, we search for the patterns. I allow the student to be the teacher in an “I Spy” type activity where they point out things that they know. It’s just another way of setting the student up for success and helping to remind them that they really do know a lot, even if they have been struggling recently. Active listening/performance evaluation activities work really well with introducing winner pieces as well. It gives the students the chance to hear the piece while focusing on another skill.
Now back to our story…
I pulled out a winner piece, this particular one was composed by Daniel McFarlane (he’s a favorite in our studio) and my student’s eyes went wide. Remember, they don’t necessarily LOOK easy. So we went through the piece together and did a pattern hunt. Then he listened and watched me play the piece and identified the mistakes that I made. At this point, it was time for him to give it a go. At first, I saw the hesitation (running hands through his hair, fiddling with his fingers and squinting slightly at this notes) and reminded him that mistakes are part of being an artist. Just take it one line at a time.
And he did.
At first he started out very slowly, doing his best to mimic the melody and rhythm that I had modeled for him, and then his fingers caught the pattern. The light switch in his brain and muscles flicked on and he was OFF!
Did he play with perfect dynamics, articulations and phrasing? No. Did he finish with a smile on his face? YES. And then came the title quote. I’m pretty sure that smile and those words kept me going for the rest of the day, and I’m also pretty sure that his moment of true success and pride kept him coming to lessons in a season which may have otherwise led to giving up.
Learning is a difficult business and so is teaching. Both sides of the coin are filled with difficult moments, because, well, you are facing the unknown every time you take the time to do something new! Take time to enjoy the wins, no matter how small. Every a-ha moment, every discovery of something that was once difficult that has become doable, every single step is an accomplishment to celebrate on both sides. We are in this together, so celebrate we shall!
