Controlling The Events Hands Together
Found in: Shared Lessons, Student Management
Samali D., Western Australia
Knowing the paramount importance of controlling the events when getting hands together for the first time in a piece how does one handle this in a group? Would it be adequate enough to do a demo with one student at the piano and then get the others to try it out on the practice pads and then rely on the SHM at home to guide them when they are practicing at home?
Neil Moore, California
Exactly! Firstly however, you must be continuing to reiterate the importance of ‘controlling the events’. You need to have this conversation again and again and again, making sure in no uncertain terms, that your students get how important you consider this to be. It needs to be consistent in both your words and your actions.
In the group, when unfolding a new piece at the keyboard, you might use a ‘volunteer’ student for the demonstration, and have all the others students observe the absolute care and attention you take when it comes to controlling the events. As you do this, you are continuing to explain the importance of why you are doing it this way. You might then demonstrate this a second time with another student, and perhaps even a third time with another. You then may well have everybody sit down and work with one another in unfolding exactly the same process in their mentor groups, using their practice pads, and making sure the are collectively ‘controlling the events’.