Winning is for a moment, but becoming better lasts forever.
I heard that on a cooking competition I watch frequently on television. The contestant wasn't discouraged that she didn't win, but rather looked for what she could gain from the experience to become a better chef. I recently entered students into our local MTA's Bach Festival, which is competitive, each student receiving adjudicator's comments. I tried to encourage them to enter the event, not to focus on winning, but to learn from the experience as they develop their skills. The feedback gave positive reinforcement, and some new ways to try performing their pieces. I think there are often winners who take away less than the "loser" who grows.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Try 3, not 2
"Don’t correct mistakes, instead find the source of the error."
I came across this quoted quote of a quote on another piano teacher's blog this evening. It was exactly what I experienced with one student this afternoon. She knew her piece well, except for one particular measure with a broken inverted G chord. She understood the notes, knew what she was supposed to do, but hit it wrong every time. We took a look at the fingering, and decided using her third finger on the starting note instead of the second made more sense. We switched the fingering, and it was perfect! Every time! Yay!
The article I read today continued on saying that fingering was one of the biggest reasons the notes are played incorrectly. She also mentioned not noticing dynamic markings and articulations, or simply not knowing how they should sound when correctly expressed. I also tried this afternoon to go over a section of my student's song with a piano and forte section. We played it until she could make the contrast she heard me play.
I love this quote and this way of thinking. I often ask myself, Why is this student making this mistake? It pays to find out!
I came across this quoted quote of a quote on another piano teacher's blog this evening. It was exactly what I experienced with one student this afternoon. She knew her piece well, except for one particular measure with a broken inverted G chord. She understood the notes, knew what she was supposed to do, but hit it wrong every time. We took a look at the fingering, and decided using her third finger on the starting note instead of the second made more sense. We switched the fingering, and it was perfect! Every time! Yay!
The article I read today continued on saying that fingering was one of the biggest reasons the notes are played incorrectly. She also mentioned not noticing dynamic markings and articulations, or simply not knowing how they should sound when correctly expressed. I also tried this afternoon to go over a section of my student's song with a piano and forte section. We played it until she could make the contrast she heard me play.
I love this quote and this way of thinking. I often ask myself, Why is this student making this mistake? It pays to find out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)