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The Power of Choices: 5 Easy Ways to Keep Your Students Engaged at the Piano

10/23/2022

4 Comments

 
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Do you want to keep your students motivated and engaged at the piano over the long term? Then this article is for you!

I believe that the most important thing I do as a teacher to keep my students excited about piano lessons is to give them choices. Choices give students ownership over the learning process and help them to feel like their input is a valuable part of our lessons together. Choices have power, and learning how to use those choices to further your teaching goals is key!

Today I am sharing 5 ways you can use the power of choices to keep your students motivated, engaged, and excited about piano! Keep reading to learn more...

Do you want to harness the power of choices in your studio? Here are 5 specific ways you can give your students choices in your next piano lesson.

Notice that each example below begins with the words "help your students choose...." This is an important distinction, as the key to making choices work for you is to guide students towards choices that are level-appropriate, age-appropriate, and mesh with your overall teaching goals. I often find that giving students 2 or 3 specific options to choose from works well. Remember, the key here is to give your students "teacher-approved" choices!

1. Help your students choose repertoire pieces.
Giving your students options when selecting repertoire is an easy way to incorporate choice into the lesson process! Instead of turning the page and assigning the next piece in the lesson book, look for two or three pieces that use the same concept and let your students choose their favorite to work on that week. Over time, you’ll develop a better understanding of which styles really resonate with your student, as well as which styles your student may need a bit more encouragement to play.

2. Help your students choose long-term goals for the semester.
As our students enter middle school and high school, I think it becomes especially important to incorporate their goals into the lesson planning process. Knowing these goals will not only help give your students a feeling of ownership over what they are learning, it will also help you to better plan which skills to focus on throughout the semester. 

Some of the goals my own students have shared with me have included: auditioning for the jazz band at school, playing a duet with a friend who plays the flute, playing a piece by Chopin, and composing a piece for our local composition competition. As you can imagine, each of these goals required a different teaching strategy to accomplish! However, they were all valuable insights into the interests of my students, and knowing these goals ahead of time allowed me to research ways to incorporate these concepts in a level-appropriate way throughout the course of the year.

Want an easy way to help your students keep track of their goals? Download my free Repertoire and Wish List sheet, found HERE.

3. Help your students choose the order of lesson activities.

Little choices can make a big difference, too! Another easy way to incorporate choice into your lessons is to give your students a choice of what piece they would like to play first in their lesson–and ask them why.

Maybe it will be a piece that gave your student problems at home, or maybe it will be a piece that they found to be easy. Either way, learning the reason behind their choice will give you valuable insight into how their practice went that week.

4. Help your students choose the best way to practice a tricky section in their music.
The next time your student encounters a tricky passage in your lessons together, help them to choose a practice strategy that they think will work to make it easier.

This process serves two purposes:
  • It helps to build your student’s "practice toolbox" of strategies, as they run through all of the strategies they have learned and pick the best "tool" for the job. 
  • It gives students ownership over the practice process, since they will be using their own ideas as they practice at home that week!

5. Help your students choose their favorite supplemental activity to end each lesson.
If you are like me, you probably have an arsenal of apps, games, and supplemental activities that you enjoy incorporating into lessons. (I’ve shared some of my own supplemental activities on my Free Stuff page HERE!)

Invite your students to pick their favorite activity to use at the end each lesson. This can serve as a great reward for a job well done. And, whether they choose to do an improv activity or to play a fast-paced note naming game, you’ll be sure to end your lesson on a high note (pun intended!) and give your students a feeling of success as you end your time together for that day.

What do you think? How do you incorporate choices into your lessons? I would love to hear your ideas in the comments!





4 Comments
Carol Lescinski link
10/27/2022 08:21:31 am

Thank you Chrissy for these suggestions! I try to give choices often. Sometimes I will ask which book a student wants to work in next. However, there are times when a student will not make the choice. I get a shrug of the shoulders, an "I don't know" or no answer. Thankfully this doesn't happen with every student! Any thoughts when this happens?

Reply
Chrissy Ricker
10/27/2022 10:21:06 am

Hi Carol! With some students, I find it works best to give them 2 specific options and let them choose their favorite. If I get a shrug or no response, I'll say, "Well, I get to pick my favorite, then!" and we move right along with the lesson.

When we are choosing music, I have found getting each student to create a "wish list" of pieces at home is really helpful, because sometimes students can't think of pieces they would like to play off the top of their head. Sometimes I'll even ask parents if there is anything special the student has been listening to at home so I have an idea of what kinds of pieces they might enjoy.

I think the key is to keep offering choices, even with those students who are "reluctant choosers." That way they know that we welcome their input, even though they don't always want to give it! Hope that gives you a few ideas--thanks for your comment! :)

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Amanda link
10/28/2022 11:45:59 am

These are such great ideas! I try to incorporate student-led teaching as much as possible in my studio. This fall, I'm pretty much composing only with one student (and therefore teaching her theory, note reading, rhythm) because that's what she wants to do. It's different for me, and ten years ago I would have thought that it meant I was failing as a teacher. But she was really struggling with music books, but absolutely loves creating her own pieces. For me, the goal is to help nurture the love of music more than stick to my preconceived goals & ideas for each student.

Reply
Chrissy Ricker
10/29/2022 05:33:12 am

Thank you, Amanda! Yes, I totally relate to how hard it can be to set aside our own goals and work on those that really excite our students. It can be tough for sure! I like to remind myself that sometimes we can work on the same skills in a non-traditional way, just like you are doing with your student. Thanks for your comment!

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    Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. These are her thoughts on teaching, composing, and all things music.


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