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Kevin M., California

This is a great question. I have had many students over the years in the same situation. I think you are on the right track introducing the Accompaniment Program. This allows him to work on the songs in the program, and start working on as many songs as he wants at home. I am sure this will help tremendously, as it also gives him a chance to work on pieces he picks, and he may enjoy that freedom. I have found the Arrangement and Variation Programs to be big help in this situation. It will take a little experimenting to see how much to present, and how much he can absorb. I would present the Level 1 song, or songs first. That way if he forgets, he has the video to fall back on. I commonly will teach several songs at one time, and I don’t see an issue with the rate at which a student goes through a particular level. Lets say you taught ‘Dreams’, and moved it up to the D position, and then the ‘Dreams’ with the L.H. playing chords. If he picked that up straight away. You could teach him the L.H. to the next Dreams arrangement, and if he picked that up and you still have time you could put the R.H. with that.

I have done exactly that in lessons before, some students processed it all, others could not. Once you have a feel for how much he can absorb, you just make the adjustments from there. Also you may be able to introduce the Reading Program to him sooner than another student, as an alternative stream, and a supplement to the levels.

It sounds like you are on the right track and doing great. As far as your other advanced students are concerned, I would do the same as you are doing with this student. Introducing the Acc. Program, and the Arrangement and Variation Programs. It will just be a matter of making the adjustments per student as to how much to present.

Rosalie C., Australia

I think your questions are really good, and I can appreciate what a big issue this is for you. It must be difficult introducing students you have had for a while, to a new method when you yourself are new to the method.

A lot of it boils down to the confidence you show when you present the method, because in many respects we are asking students to trust us and have faith in this new approach. If you are new to the approach it can be sometimes hard to explain your confidence – because you haven’t actually tested it out over time yourself yet – and it is difficult not to feel a bit ‘panicky’ when you see that you might lose some students with whom you have
already had a past relationship.

I think you have two things on your side:

1. You have built up a relationship with these students already, and they have trusted you in the past
2. From your email I think that you are reading the situation correctly and are doing the right things.

These are my thoughts on the matter.

You have two scenarios you described.

The first 9-year old boy sounds like a great student. It sounds like he has already developed his musicality. I would let him run with the program and not hold him back, provided that he knows absolutely that you are in control. You need to be in control of these issues specifically:

• That his Playlist is not shoddy, that it is played musically/beautifully and he can play each song immediately. I would tell him that this is his unique challenge, and that this is the highest standard that you can and will use to measure his success;
• That he knows the learning strategies behind each song, and is not merely depending on his developed ear and absorption rate to experience the SM approach. You need to make a huge thing about this – he is not learning the songs, he is learning a way of learning.

Apart from those two vital areas of control, multi streaming him is the right approach. Without doubt, the biggest mistake that teachers make when delivering the SM method, is that we have a tendency to go too fast – delivering too much too soon. But if the student can cope, and if you are in control of the two things above, then let him fly.

The second scenario you described of the other experienced students can be managed similarly, but I would not necessarily let them ‘fly’ to the same extent as the 9 year old boy.

As you have noted, their memorization is the issue to address. I would initially teach them the Level 1 and 2 songs quickly – faster than usual – but always telling them that you will start to introduce Arrangements, that you will not be providing support materials when doing so, and that subsequently, this will require them to learn how to draw on and use different skills.

After they had processed lots of ‘Foundation Program’ songs, I would introduce small sections of the Arrangements at a time, letting them know how it may be much more difficult for them to memorize the pieces, and how you are only teaching them these because they are such good players – anticipate their frustration and get them on your side regarding Arrangements. Think of all the possible reasons that you can, as to why Arrangements are so good for their playing, and sell it to them in as big a way as you can. Make a huge fuss of their achievements in this area. Getting the balance between moving through the songs appropriately for their standard, and slowing them with arrangements – without frustrating them – is your challenge here.

As always, teaching has everything to do with managing long-term relationships.