Mistakes, Empathy, and Patience!

In my opinion.......mistakes are WONDERFUL!  How else can we get better at something if we don't make mistakes? If we're not allowed to make mistakes?  Observing a baby learn to walk is the best example I know of learning from our mistakes.  I have learned so many precious lessons by simply observing my son, Matthew.  I thank God for giving me such an amazing child!  When he was first learning to walk, he'd pick himself off the floor from a nearby table, wobble, let go of the table, and fall back down.  Do you think that stopped him?  Of course not!  He'd get up and try again and again until eventually he was able to stand on his own and take his first steps forward just like most every baby before him and most every child after him.  And my husband and I (as every parent) were encouraging.  We'd praise him for making the simplest attempt at getting up.  We'd clap our hands and smile at him and when he'd finally mastered the skill of standing on his own we'd woo him to come to us with our arms wide open ready to hug him (and if he fell we'd hug him anyway).  What do you think would happen if we yelled at our babies every time they fell from attempting to walk?  We'd be a society of belly crawlers. :)

Why should it be any different when learning to play an instrument?  We as teachers need to create an environment in which it's OK to "mess up".  If we see mistakes as a golden opportunity to improve then so will our students.  Mistakes are made for a number of reasons during lessons from needing more time to master a certain skill to students not practicing enough.  I can almost promise you that if a child is constantly made to feel ashamed for their mistakes they will eventually stop trying altogether.  Whatever the reason for our students "messing up", we need to create a safe nurturing enviroment that allows them the opportunity learn from their mistakes.

If you can empathize with your students then you will naturally become more patient with them.  Think about how it was for you at their age.  How confusing things were at times.  How it was hard to sit still and focus for long periods of time.  How scary it was for you when all of those tall people in your life towered over you and told you what to do.  And were we really paying attention to them?  Sometimes but not really.  I mean there was so much mental "noise" going on in our heads. 

OMG and don't get me started on middle school age students with all their physical, emotional, and hormonal changes going on!   So although I hold my students to very high standards I am also extremely understanding of where they are in their lives.  It's important for us to let our students know that we genuinely care for them and want what's best for them.  I believe it was John C. Maxwell who said "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care".  Isn't that the truth?  So if you're feeling frustrated with a student who hasn't been practicing during the week and/or makes numerous mistakes throughout their pieces, take a deep breath, think back to when you were their age, and address the problem in a way that will help them improve.

This is what I've shared with a few of my students who have clearly not practiced during the week and come to their lesson unprepared:

Me:  Sooooooooo how much did you practice this week?
Student: (long silence feeling scared) Ummmmm........I practiced.
Me: (with a smile) I believe that you practiced but how much did you practice?
Student: (long silence and feeling uncomfortable) Ummmmm......I don't know.
Me: (calm demeanor and said without an angry tone) Well, I think you practiced a little but not as much as you could have.  What's your weekly schedule like?  Walk through each day with me so that we can work together to find time where you can practice.
(The student then shares their weekly activities with me and we always find at least 15-25 minutes a day where they could practice)
Me: Okay, so now we have a schedule that you can follow and your parents can help you follow, right?
Student: (feeling a bit more relieved) Yes!  I can do this.
Me: Of course you can, I know you can!  So I will talk with your parents and let them know that we've worked out a schedule to help you stay on top of your practicing so that they can help you follow it.  But remember that even when you don't feel like practicing you have to do it anyway because I promise you that you will feel so excited about coming to your next lesson knowing that you've practiced all week long.  You'll walk in happy and confident and ready to show me what you've worked on and I'll be so excited to hear your progress.  OK?
Student: (more relaxed and receptive to learning the next thing in piano) OK!
Me: You are awesome!

If you take anything away from this entry take this............kids rarely feel good about themselves.  They are constantly comparing themselves to others around them feeling like they'll never measure up.  They are their worst critics and often feed themselves with negative inner dialogue.  Be one of the few people in their lives to lift them up and encourage them to be the best they can be.  Kids know when you're being sincere and when you're being fake.  Whatever encouraging words you say make sure that you genuinely believe what you're telling them.  Until next time, Daphne V. (piano blogger) signing off........

Developing rhythm sense: Football passes



POOF ® football

Most of my students participate in some sort of organized sport such as football, soccer, basketball, etc.. so what I do is incorporate whatever sport is in season at the time into my metronome exercises.  Since were are now in the throws of football season my students and I will occasionally pass a football to varying metronome speeds.  We also pass the ball to different note values.  Most everyone has a football laying around somewhere.  We own two real footballs but I chose to purchase a soft POOF ® football www.poof-slinky.com to prevent surrounding equipment from breaking just in case the ball was thrown too hard. Even though I remind my kiddos to gently throw the ball they sometimes get caught up in the moment and imagine they are throwing the ball down the field to a team player who'll score a touchdown.  Gotta love children's imaginations!  I am no good at throwing a football so I have my football playing students teach me how to pass one.  They thoroughly enjoy being the teacher for a few minutes during our lesson!

What's going on this week in piano: Bow and Arrow Shots!

Sometimes I do tend to think way outside the box.  I've found that the more outrageous the activity the more engaged and excited my students get.  Well, I get pretty darn excited as well.

I had some pretty odd items on my Christmas wish list this year.  One of the things I asked "Santa" to give me was a bow and arrow set for my piano lessons.  "A bow and arrow set?", you ask . "What would she need with a bow and arrow set and how on earth would she be able to tie this into a piano lesson?"  Oh, but you can and the kiddos have been eating this activity up for the past two weeks.  I tend to showcase activities like this one for a "limited time" and bring them out once or twice a year to keep their interest up.  After this week, it's getting packed away.  This set was purchased from "toys to grow on" ® and it's called "My First Archery Set" www.toystogrowon.com

What I am doing with this "exercise" is putting the metronome beat to a very very slow speed and having  my students shoot arrows at the target every tied whole note (every 8 beats).  Actually I did that last week, this week they are shooting every tied dotted half note since they've gotten the hang of setting the arrows up and aiming.  At first, it seems painfully slow to them but they soon realize why I've chosen that speed.  It's so they have time to set up the next arrow in between shots. 

"My First Archery Set" from www.toystogrowon.com

Some of the younger students will need your help with setting the arrows up and shooting them.  They tend to want to help the bow along rather than just snap it and let the bow carry the arrow through the air.  The older kids LOVE this activity and they are quite good at it actually.  I am so impressed with how they can keep a count of the metronome beats in their head while setting their arrows up for the next shot!  It also has given me insight into their fine and gross motor skills.  Any bit of information I can gather about my students helps me be a better teacher.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE what I do.  I never thought that I'd say that and I used to envy people who enjoyed what they did for a living.  This week a grandparent shared this with me after her grandson's lesson....."It's like my grandson just had a musical playdate with you.  This was so much fun, thank you".

I can't express enough gratitude to God for giving me this opportunity.  Until next time, Daphne Vasquez signing off......

Developing rhythm sense: Metronome "exercises" Part III

Be-Bopping to note cards:  All you'll need for this activity is card stock, and a black marker.  I use different colors but you don't need to.  Draw a few quarter, half, dotted half, whole, and eighth notes on  card stock.  Make a few of each note so that your rhythm combinations are endless.  Laminate your cards.  Lay down a rhythm pattern vertically on the floor based on what your students have learned so far.



 Turn on the metronome to a slow speed and have your children walk next to (not on) the cards to the metronome beat.  Have them go through the pattern a few times to a faster speed each time.  Some kiddos will be able to step next to the cards and go through the rhythm sequence with very little help while others will need a few lessons to "get it". I have students who have been with me for over four years who still ask for this activity!

Developing rhythm sense: Metronome "exercises" Part II

I include metronome "exercises" in every lesson.  The kiddos look forward to this and these exercises alone have helped keep children in my program for much longer than if they were in a traditional program where they'd be expected to sit at the piano for the entire lesson.  The younger the child, the more wiggly they are.  So I say, "Let them wiggle" but in a way that still teaches them what they need to know as pianists.  Even my older students love the movement portion of the lessons.  Maybe it's just me but the most memorable classes I participated in were the ones that challenged me on many different levels. The activities take no more than 4 minutes tops and the benefits my students are reaping from these exercises have been huge.  They are developing such a phenomenal sense of rhythm that quite a few of my middle schoolers have been personally asked by their school band directors to join the percussion team!

It's amazing what happens once you begin thinking "outside the box"!   I have a friend who is teaching her niece and nephew piano and after reading a few of my ideas she has begun to think outside the traditional piano teaching box and has come up with her own ideas.  Bekah purchased a peg board and hammer from a local toy store and now has her kiddos hitting the pegs to the metronome beat. She says that they LOVE doing this. Way to go, Bekah!

I find myself  looking around my house, in thrift stores, visiting yard sales, walking down aisles of craft and hobby stores thinking up tons of activities for the metronome.   When you think about it there are so many activities your students can do. The sky is the limit. They can jump rope, jump up and down, touch their nose, move their hips from side to side, clap, bend, and blink to name just a few. You can also play "Patty Cake" with your younger students and clap each other's hands on every beat. You could have your students blow bubbles to whole note beats (every 4 beats). Place a towel on the floor where they are blowing since the liquid drips. 

Super fun activity: Purchase a few styrofoam balls from a hobby store, tie yarn to the end of a paper clip, push one clip into each ball, tie the other end of the yarn to a push pin, and hang a few balls from an archway or entryway.  Get a cheap plastic baseball bat (Dollar Stores sell these) and have your students hit the hanging balls to varying metronome beats with the bat.  My students can't get enough of this "exercise". 

Parachute activity (very effective for rhythmically challenged students): You can purchase a small two person parachute from a toy or teacher supply store  (I purchased mine from "Lakeshore Learning Center")  or just use an old cloth sheet or plastic table cover to do this activity.  Grip each corner  while your student holds onto the other two corners on their side and lift the parachute up on the beat and drop it down on the next beat (repeat).  Since you're holding onto one side of it, you can control the up/down motion which is a fantastic way of having your students focus on the beats.  At first, some of my students would attempt to lift the parachute before the beat but I'd keep my side down until it was time to lift it.  After a few lifts and drops they got the hang of it.



Other inexpensive instruments: Purchase a few inexpensive instruments such as a maracas, jingle bells, a drum, tambourine, etc. You can find these items at Dollar or teacher supply stores, yard sales, thrift shops, and party stores. Have your students play the instrument to varying metronome speeds.


Hand puppets: My younger students really like it when the puppets come out to visit.  Actually I was surprised at how many of my older students still enjoyed getting visits from puppets. I utilize my puppets in many ways, one being metronome.   While the metronome is clicking away I'll have a puppet play an instrument with the student or I'll have the puppet gently jump up and down on the student's head on every beat.  This is a great way to build rhythm accuracy in your students.

Bringing music from home:  Sometimes I ask my students to bring a song they like to listen to to their  lesson.  While their music's playing we throw or bounce a ball back and forth to the beat.  I change it up by calling out different note values: quarter, half, whole, eighth notes, tied notes, etc..  They enjoy hearing their music during lesson and it helps them listen in on the recurring beat.  I had one student stop in the middle of this activity to ask if she was in a piano lesson.  She couldn't believe how much fun she was having!

I'm not sure who has more fun during lessons, me or my students! Until next time, Piano Blogger signing off..........