Encourage Frequent Performance
Last week, I was privileged to give my Top Ten Tips for Piano Teachers (David Letterman style) lecture to the Wheaton College piano pedagogy class. It’s a tradition that’s been going on for roughly 15 years!
I decided to take an excerpt from the whole lecture and give you a sneak peak at my first tip - number 10:
Encourage students to perform regularly, and provide them with developmentally appropriate performance opportunities.
A performance deadline is the surest way to get a student to practice! But it’s important to remember that not every performance needs to be a high-pressure event, such as a competition or large formal recital. To that end, I brainstormed a list of example performance types for students, going from least formal to most. Note that these also require varying levels of commitment and preparation from the teacher.
perform for teacher (single piece with a bow, book recitals, straight through exam pieces, etc.)
perform for next student in teacher’s schedule
perform for entire family or a few guests sitting in living room
play for friends in the school band/orchestra room
perform or accompany singing at larger family gatherings/holidays
videotape performance at home and post to YouTube to share with family & friends out of town
perform at group class or studio performance class
“summer showcase” or other student favorites recital (pop, Broadway, jazz, etc.)
retirement home or other community service venue recital
ensemble recital (all duets and trios, or duos if you have two pianos)
prelude/offertory/postlude at church, synagogue, or other house of worship
annual or biannual studio recital
exams such as RCM or MTA, Guild, Federation
senior recital
local scholarship competitions or high level competitions such as MTNA
What about you, teachers? Do you have other creative performance ideas? What performances have most motivated your students? Which ones have been the biggest hits with your piano families?
