14th February 2024
My Four Rules of Learning
Learning an instrument in school is unlike any other subject. However, many students approach their lessons in the same way that they would with their general school lessons, which, in my opinion is wrong. So this year, I posted up my "Four Rules" on the wall of my high school teaching studio.
Rule 1: This is a happy place.
You are here because you want to be here. Know what you want to achieve, and learn how to achieve it. Don't forget to have fun.
Explanation: Quite a few primary school students are there because "Mum and Dad want me to learn an instrument". By high school, that's long gone. The kids are sick of playing something that they don't want to, the parents are sick of arguing, and the kid's out of the music program. It can be assumed, therefore, that my high school students are there purely because they want to be there. Following on from this, they should be aware of the reason that they want to be there. It sounds obvious, but when I directly ask a student why they are in my studio, they often have to take some time to work it out. After all, the chemistry teacher probably doesn't quiz their students as to why they are in the lab. Once I have an idea of what the student wants out of their piano learning experience, then we can work together to achieve that goal.
Rule 2: Be lazy (in an intelligent way).
Be smart and get the most benefit with least effort. Use your time wisely. Don't forget to have fun.
Explanation: There are many ways in which all of us can achieve more, not by working harder, but by working smarter. There are two examples that I give my students. They will progress quicker by practising every day than putting all of their practice time (and a bit more) into one practice session. Of course there is a limit to this. You'll probably get more done in one 4 hour practice session than in one hour split over the week. However, it won't be four times as much. The other big way in which students can learn quicker is by looking for patterns in the music. Leading questions such as "have you seen something similar to this earlier in the piece" or "how does this bar differ to that bar" can help students work this out for themselves.
Rule 3: Argue with Dr Scott.
There is no single "correct" interpretation of music. Your performance is yours, not Dr Scott's. So make it yours. Don't forget to have fun.
Explanation: I always ask my students whether their other teachers encourage them to argue. Not one has said that they do. It's understandable, do you really want a class of 20 students arguing with you? Individual lessons allow this kind of back-and-forth of ideas. I was incredibly lucky to have teachers (especially Stephen Chin and Jason Hawkins) who really encouraged me to speak my mind. There is a caveat to this, however. It's all well and good to have an opinion, but you need to back up why you think this way.
Rule 4: Play what you want to play.
There's lots of great music around us. There is a 0% chance that everything you want to play will be contained in a method book. Don't forget to have fun.
Explanation: Too many students think that their entire musical journey is based around which method (or exam) book is prescribed to them. If you think about the comparison with other subjects, it totally makes sense. You go through the Year 7 maths book, then onto Year 8 and so on. Music isn't like this (and to a certain extent, maths shouldn't be like this either, but it is). Why should students be limited to what someone else thought would be a good progression for them? I don't mandate that my students choose their own music, but I strongly encourage it. After all, when they are adults, are they going to follow a book? By getting them used to listening to music from a performance perspective, I'm setting them up for a richer musical life long after they've finished lessons with me.
For previous months, click here.