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1. No Whining. 2. No saying "I can't". 3. No Rudeness, no swearing, treat your teacher with respect. 4. No banging on the piano. When piano lid is close, no elbow on piano! No throwing things. 5. Not being perfectionist! Everyone make mistakes, it is okay to make mistakes, I do not need to see your sour and angry face every time you make mistakes! 6. Bring all your note book, piano books, and theory books! 7. If you haven't practice, tell your teacher, then we can do something else rather than going thru your songs. 8. Be open. Be willing to change. Even if you think your way is better or it's too hard to do something different, give it a try. Some things just take time. 9. Don't be defensive. You pay your teacher to give you help. Use it. 10. Don’t be angry when your teacher point out your mistakes. That is my job to tell you that you play wrong!
Hello! I am trying to write a list that I expect my students to follow during lesson to make our lessons smooth and to prevent bad attitude. I came out with this list (mainly copy and paste from other people). Is there anything else you like to add? Together we can compile a list and use it in our studio. Thanks!
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Great idea. A lot could fall under the category of "no rudeness," but I might add specifically "No interrupting. No playing the piano or talking while your teacher is trying to talk."
Also, for the final edit for when you'll be actually distributing this to people, make sure #7 says "If you haven't practiced" and "through" instead of "thru."
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Your list states what you don't want students to do. How about what you do want them to do?
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Your list states what you don't want students to do. How about what you do want them to do? Here's my abridged list: 1. Do what I say, and all will work out well.
Last edited by Morodiene; 05/17/13 02:43 PM.
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Your list states what you don't want students to do. How about what you do want them to do? ok, how about: "DO not whine, DO not say 'I can't'..."
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Your list states what you don't want students to do. How about what you do want them to do? Here's my abridged list: 1. Do what I say, and all will work out well. I completely disagree. Blindly following a teacher is the worst possible thing a student can do. They will never be the teacher, because they aren't the teacher, but they will also never be their own individual, just a musical machine destined to fail. You should find a teacher who agrees with you on most matters of interpretation, and then work with that teacher. If a teacher tells you to do X and you disagree, think it over, and if you still think your way is better, then you should do what you feel is right. Doing a questionable interpretation your way is better than doing a "correct" interpretation that you feel is wrong, because you won't be able to connect to the music at all that way.
Last edited by Polyphonist; 05/17/13 02:50 PM.
Regards,
Polyphonist
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No, but really. I see the point of not making a list with a whole bunch of "No's," but I think in reality if you are having regular discipline issues (although if the discipline issues really are regular, and it's occurring from many different students, then perhaps it is more of a problem on the teacher's end?) but if it's not that, it's a lot easier to enforce a list of "Don't"'s (that ideally the student has already agreed upon?) by pointing out "you did this when you promised you wouldn't," instead of the more vague "just do what I say."
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It comes across as whiny and negative. All those things they can't do, and then they can't be perfectionist? I wouldn't send my kid to you, given that.
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Your list states what you don't want students to do. How about what you do want them to do? Here's my abridged list: 1. Do what I say, and all will work out well. I completely disagree. Blindly following a teacher is the worst possible thing a student can do. They will never be the teacher, because they aren't the teacher, but they will also never be their own individual, just a musical machine destined to fail. You should find a teacher who agrees with you on most matters of interpretation, and then work with that teacher. If a teacher tells you to do X and you disagree, think it over, and if you still think your way is better, then you should do what you feel is right. Doing a questionable interpretation your way is better than doing a "correct" interpretation that you feel is wrong, because you won't be able to connect to the music at all that way. We are talking about children here, not adults. I HOPE adults don't need a list of rules on how to behave at a lesson.
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No, but really. I see the point of not making a list with a whole bunch of "No's," but I think in reality if you are having regular discipline issues (although if the discipline issues really are regular, and it's occurring from many different students, then perhaps it is more of a problem on the teacher's end?) but if it's not that, it's a lot easier to enforce a list of "Don't"'s (that ideally the student has already agreed upon?) by pointing out "you did this when you promised you wouldn't," instead of the more vague "just do what I say." Wow, do people lack a sense of humor? Did you not see the silly wink emoticon? Sheesh.
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Still, there are 7 NOs and only 3 YESs on the list.
It's a little easier to do something than not do something. I think in the long run you're better off with a more positive sounding set of rules.
And yes, adults need rules too, and are rarely given them. I see it all the time when adults without a musical background enter lessons or various ensemble groups, and are unaware of the unwritten codes that govern behavior.
gotta go practice
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I have to add... it does amaze me the difference that I see in how children act at their lessons. Two children in one family are extremely polite- they never play or talk while I'm talking, they don't flip the page when they can "sense" that we're getting ready to move on, they always say "thank you" after the lesson, etc; and of course I have also taught kids with complete opposite behaviors. They clearly aren't getting taught how behave and be in-general-polite at home, and it would be almost unfair to suddenly expect them to start behaving perfectly to my satisfaction, so giving them some written expectations might not be such a bad idea. It's just that you can't even expect basic politeness from some kids - there is such a contrast in what I see from different families, it's like you really do have to spell it out for them. The positive sentence "Be polite" would not mean anything to those kids who have not been taught *how* to be polite. Maybe they really do need a specific set of rules of what that entails. /sorry, end rant about kids not being raise properly...
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When working with young children:
1) Keep the rules simple, and the list of rules short (3 or 4 max).
2) State the rules positively (Do this) instead of negatively (Don't do this).
3) State a series of consequences, and follow through! Make sure the consequences have bite and not just some "empty threat."
The teacher is the adult in the situation, so draw up the boundaries and take charge!
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1. No whining. 2. No saying "I can't". 3. No rudeness, no swearing, treat your teacher with respect. 4. No banging on the piano. When piano lid is close, no elbow on piano! No throwing things. 5. Do not need to be a perfectionist! Everyone make mistakes, it is okay to make mistakes, I do not need to see your sour and angry face every time you make mistakes! 6. Bring all your note book, piano books, and theory books! 7. If you haven't practice, tell your teacher, then we can do something else rather than going through your songs. 8. Be open. Be willing to change. Even if you think your way is better or it's too hard to do something different, give it a try. Some things just take time. 9. Don't be defensive. You pay your teacher to give you help. Use it. 10. Don’t be angry when your teacher point out your mistakes. That is my job to tell you that you play wrong! 11. Answer your teacher’s question. If your teacher asks: “What is this note?†Answer her with your mouth, don’t play it on piano. 12. No interrupting. When your teacher is talking or playing for you, please watch and listen. 13. Play each note only one time, when your teacher says repeat that note, just play it one time, don’t play it ten times to show that you are angry. 14. Keep focused. Don't look at the clock and sigh. Don't say, "Do I have to play that again?" 15. Communicate. If you feel frustrated or confused, let the teacher know. You can avoid tears over some misunderstanding at the lesson if your teacher knows your feelings. Ask for help or a break. 16. Enjoy this special hour. When you learn something exciting, express your delight. Take pleasure in your lessons and your relationship with your teacher. 17. Be persistent. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a good musician. 18. Be curious and develop your own opinions and style. 19. If you feel your teacher is too demanding or doesn't give you enough to work on, tell her. Work together to set goals and standards. 20. At competition, focus not only on the results but on the effort too. You can't win every time but you can always improve. 21. Before you decide to quit lessons, discuss your problems with the teacher. Give her a chance to accommodate your needs. 22. Remember the goal is not just to become a better pianist, but to become a better person through your music, through your discipline, through your persistent.
The list is not yet complete. I know it is getting longer. I wish I can learn from Morodine, with only one rule: "Do what I say" rule. I do not need troll here in this forum. We are here to help each other, not to put each other down. Thanks
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No, but really. I see the point of not making a list with a whole bunch of "No's," but I think in reality if you are having regular discipline issues (although if the discipline issues really are regular, and it's occurring from many different students, then perhaps it is more of a problem on the teacher's end?) but if it's not that, it's a lot easier to enforce a list of "Don't"'s (that ideally the student has already agreed upon?) by pointing out "you did this when you promised you wouldn't," instead of the more vague "just do what I say." Wow, do people lack a sense of humor? Did you not see the silly wink emoticon? Sheesh. I was actually responding more to the third post on this thread, by (I think) keystring, which suggested using a list of what you do want them to do. I guess I just casually lumped together that suggestion (which you had quoted) with your joking one, which is what I ended up using in my example, but I think my example (which I quoted) still works with just about any "positive statement." Like, "You banged on the piano when you promised you wouldn't" has I think more affect (or effect?) than "you promised you would be polite but you banged on the piano." And I actually do have a sense of humor. Apparently it's just my reading comprehension that stinks, but thanks for pointing that out. {eyeroll}
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No, but really. I see the point of not making a list with a whole bunch of "No's," but I think in reality if you are having regular discipline issues (although if the discipline issues really are regular, and it's occurring from many different students, then perhaps it is more of a problem on the teacher's end?) but if it's not that, it's a lot easier to enforce a list of "Don't"'s (that ideally the student has already agreed upon?) by pointing out "you did this when you promised you wouldn't," instead of the more vague "just do what I say." Wow, do people lack a sense of humor? Did you not see the silly wink emoticon? Sheesh. I was actually responding more to the third post on this thread, by (I think) keystring, which suggested using a list of what you do want them to do. I guess I just casually lumped together that suggestion (which you had quoted) with your joking one, which is what I ended up using in my example, but I think my example (which I quoted) still works with just about any "positive statement." Like, "You banged on the piano when you promised you wouldn't" has I think more affect (or effect?) than "you promised you would be polite but you banged on the piano." And I actually do have a sense of humor. Apparently it's just my reading comprehension that stinks, but thanks for pointing that out. {eyeroll} It was you and Polyphony that both posted in response to my joke so I got ticked off with everyone seeming to "jump all over me." Anyways, I agree that having an agreement with each student is important, that way you can point out to them when they are behaving in a way that is counterproductive for learning and alos, if there's anything that the student requests of the teacher, that can also be accommodated to be fair.
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In my view, there are two different lists going on here. One is part of the Studio Policy which is where piano lessons are discussed and certain understandings are reached (like don't break my piano). If a serious problem arises, we refer to our Studio Policy, signed by all parties, including student, to reach a decision.
The second list is in play at every lesson. Mine was originally created for special ed students and includes pictures. My simple list includes items such as the following. Note that it is just a few words. It could be reviewed at each lesson. One page, in color, which is set on the music stand at the beginning of the lesson, as needed.
Sit Quietly Eyes On Listen Hands Down
etc.
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How would your list look like if you want to keep only 5 max in the list? Do you mind share, ANZ?
Thanks!
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How would your list look like if you want to keep only 5 max in the list? Do you mind share, ANZ? 1) Follow directions the first time given 2) Be prepared for each lesson
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Follow directions the first time given
That "first time" is very important! Often I feel I am ten years older because I nag too much...ah....
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:23 PM
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