Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Magic timer for young students who misbehave or drift

I don't know if this is a technique used by others , but I have recently found that using a timer to gauge the amount of time a student is not paying attention to me or fooling around on the piano has been extremely effective. I tell the student that that the total wasted time at the end of the lesson will be recorded and relayed to the parents. I have had a complete turnaround in behavior for some of my younger students because of this, in general they can not bear to see the time go up on the timer and the get right back to the piano task at hand. Also, after a productive lesson they are very proud and want to boast their small amount or zero wasted time to their parents.

Before I was using the timer for a particular younger student who I would demand 20 mins of actual playing piano of the 30 min lesson otherwise a frown on the behavior chart. This was moderately effective, but since I changed it to the timer going meaning a BAD thing she has become much more concerned with focusing on whatever immediate goals we have.

Anyway, just thought I would share this because this small thing is clearly making my job easier.

How do you use actually do this? Do you have some kind of stopwatch at the piano and click it when the child begins goofing off or not paying attention?

This is such an interesting thread. I guess my first questions are why are you allowing them to misbehave and why is there time for them to do so?

That's a good one! I used a timer when my child was getting ready for school in the morning, too. Worked like a charm, and she is the most punctual person I know.

I have a digital timer sitting on top of the piano. Yes as soon as it is clear that they are wasting time I click it.

Good questions. I can't say that I allow my students to misbehave, just simply from time to time the younger ones might lose focus to varying degrees that has been a big challenge. There is not time for them to misbehave, that is why I implemented the timer...so it is clear to them and their parents how much of the lesson was a waste.

I'd be interested to hear how "simply not allowing someone to misbehave" (that is to say, NOT using some technique or other, but just plain not letting them do it) works. Because for me, it mainly doesn't.

Whenever students have exhibited poor behavior in my studio, it's because I wasn't keeping the pace moving. Don't give them the opportunity.

Do you use this for all your young students? Does this also work for "special needs" students?

I think this is a fantastic idea! I'm going to try it out in a few hours!

I have a 9 year old student, very bright, very talented. She is not at all a behavioral problem, but she does seem to like wasting time in the lesson to the point that I feel like we can't get through as much material as I would like. Even tasks like getting out her books, or writing something in her music take forever with this child.

Thank you so much for an idea I know is going to be incredibly useful in my teaching for years to come!

This.

Children misbehave and get bored when the teacher is boring.

Solution?

Don't be boring.

Children will thrive on energy and excitement and guidance.

When a child sits there and look clueless I say ..

'Attack!!' 'Go!!' 'Go!!' 'Quick, Go!!' 'Attack!!!'

All while gently nudging them - My commands overload their senses and their brains go 'ohhhh heereeee weee goooooo !!!' and they jump right into it.

If you just sit there and wait for the child to do something, in my opinion, that is a sign of a teacher who isn't excited to teach young children.

I beg to differ. Children misbehave because they are allowed and/or enabled to misbehave. Even when the teacher is boring, they can choose not to misbehave. Misbehavior is a choice, not a knee-jerk reaction to ennui.

And there are students who will choose to misbehave no matter how entertaining you are. They thrive on negative attention.

Misbehavior is a symptom of poor parenting....

You can still let a child be a child - There is nothing wrong with letting them get up from the bench every now and then and long as you can bring them back into focus.

In my opinion at least.

Well, piano lessons with children shouldn't have the child on the bench for the entire lesson anyway.

I only have one student that is special needs (that I am aware of) and I don't use it with him because of the severity of his mental handicap.

No, not for all, there are many students that I have that have no need for for this timer method. It really has to be a case by case basis. However, I can say that the ones that have been the most problematic as far as wasting time, I have basically cracked that nut with this timer, for the time being anyway.

Interesting you say that because I would like to incorporate other activities for the younger children ...for the 5 and 6 year olds for sure. What might you suggest? Thanks for the comment.

What sparked this very idea is a 9 year old who fits that description perfectly. One of the stunts she would play would be to ask for my pencil to write a reminder in the music then she would end up writing all kind of alterations to the music to make it as simple as possible....veeeerry sloooowly. This behavior has basically ended....I hope you have at least partial luck with this method ...Let us know how it goes

There are a few students who I have learned to NEVER give a pencil to, because they will do that very thing, take 5 minutes to write something out very, very slowly. I think it's good for students to make their own notes, but it takes a level of maturity and purposefulness.

Why not?

Because young students, especially, need to develop the connection between body/ear/hand and use large muscle movement to translate that. Children are made to move! They can experience musical in a totally different way and internalize many skills through exaggeration.

There are also many games that students can play that help them develop in different learning styles. Sitting on a bench may be the most boring, uninspiring way for the younger child, especially, to make music. They have to learn to do it eventually, but's definitely not the first step.