Adult student reluctant to improvise
Found in: Adult Students, Composition & Improvisation
Leeanne I., Australia
I have a student in her 50s who has rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. She had to miss her last lesson as she had a sore wrist. She told me today at her lesson that her physiotherapist told her to give up piano. She doesn’t want to as she loves it. She suggested to me that the best way for her to cope with playing is to practice less and just learn songs. She doesn’t want to improvise.
Firstly, I suggested that maybe she should listen to her doctor. No, she doesn’t want to give up piano. Secondly, we addressed the problem of her sore wrist. It’s her RH and the joint of her thumb. I suggested she can just play the melodies with her LH and not use her RH at all. Or leave out her thumb. No, she wants to use both hands and wants to play ‘properly’.
I did evaluate the way she was sitting and holding her hands at the piano, corrected some slight problems, and getting her to use her whole body, rather than just her hands, to play. She said that helped a bit.
Is not improvising ever justified? I can’t see why it would be. I think she is just claiming territory. She has told me on a few occasions she doesn’t like it. I told her that was too bad and she has to do it anyway as that is what I teach!
Carrie L., Michigan
If an adult doesn’t want to improvise I allow them to not do that but also seek to move them past it slowly. I have had teens that do not want to and continue to slowly work them to that place. I have one that composed a song after quite some time of quietly and kindly continuing to ask.
Leeanne I., Australia
So continue to do some improv but mainly focus on the Foundation songs?]
Carrie L., Michigan
I would personally do that. And add variations or arrangements to expand.
Another thing I’ve done is have students combine the first book songs together in their own variation. Sometimes having something to start with helps.
Joy O., Alabama
Improvising isn’t inherently more taxing than the playing. I think your call on claiming territory may be spot on. Notice she doesn’t want to take the advice of the health care professional. I’m not a medical professional, but as a piano teacher, here’s my advice to her: “Listen to your teacher. Follow the directions even when you don’t see the point”.
Leeanne I., Australia
She told me she likes structure and not freedom. She chose piano lessons as she wants to keep her brain active as she had to stop working. I told her that structure/method uses one side of the brain, and freedom/creativity uses the other side of the brain. We need to exercise both sides of our brain!