This is the beginning of hopefully a regular blog on my piano lessons in Bath, UK.
Teaching piano offers a unique insight into people’s development as pianists. In my own piano studies, it is easy to get lost in endless self analysis and criticism. Hours of finessing legato lines and running octaves can narrow one’s outlook on learning, so teaching is a really good way to learn more about the instrument and the difficulties people can encounter with it.
I have a range of students from the youngest at 5 years of age to mature adult beginners. Each one presents challenges, as no two students are the same. We are all individuals, learning at different rates and responding to different teaching methods.
The two keys to teaching I have discovered so far are patience and empathy. Empathy is probably the most important skill of all. If I have a student who is losing concentration, I need to immediately ask myself ‘if I were in their shoes, why would I be losing concentration?’ This is especially pertinent for young beginners and I have found that this lovely summer weather can be a major distraction! So mixing up the lesson plan, trying new exercises and even just taking a 30 second breather can really help to find that focus for the last ten minutes of a lesson.
That’s it for now, but I hope to keep a more regular posting of teaching observations, my own studies and music life in Bath in general!
If you are looking for piano lessons in Bath or near by, then please do get in touch via my contact form!
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