Simpedia

Kevin Meyer, California

Kevin M (USA)  Who wants to ask the first question?

Nancy L (USA)  how do you get a 17 year old boy who just learned how to drive to practice? Ha!

Rhea P (Aus)  Well, I do struggle a bit with getting some kids to play enough.

Kevin M (USA)  Firstly, it’s always important to ask why.  I want to know why a student has not practiced, because it is always a matter of students needing to be held accountable…..

Nancy L (USA)  same old answers…busy with schoolwork

Kevin M (USA)  good, lets talk about the school work answer.  I would always ask how much time a day do you spend doing schoolwork
and take as long as is needed to find out what their schedule is and work out where they have time to practice.  I then set up a schedule for them and get their commitment (and their parents) to follow it.

Sometimes I get a kid who does not have the time, and then it’s very clear, and very simple. I have them make a choice. Either they quit something else to make time for piano practice, or they stop lessons until they have the time to commit to practice.  It sounds brutal, but it is the only option.  Do you get where I’m coming from?

Nancy L (USA) absolutely…I just haven’t gone that far yet

Kevin M (USA)  It is better to lose a student than to have one who is not practicing.  And that’s the key… being completely willing to lose the student if they don’t commit to practicing.  it works better for all involved.

Nancy L (USA)  I agree…this is just the first time I’ve encountered the situation.

Cathy H (USA)  There’s a certain degree of responsibility associated with being a musician that applies to other areas of a person’s life.

Rhea P (Aus)  I’m ambivalent about it. I’ve got to say……Why is it better to lose the student than allow him to progress slowly?

Kevin M (USA)  Good question……. But there is a huge difference between moving slowly and refusing to practice or not taking the time to practice. If a student is not progressing because of them not practicing, there is nowhere to go but to hear the Playlist each lesson and review the song from last week till it is time to move forward.  And at some point it becomes a waste of time and money.

Rhea P (Aus)  I don’t know about this. What I do know is that forcing a child to practice can turn them off music for their whole lives. I don’t know if it’s not better to let them trudge along and get somewhere rather than turning them away.

Kevin M (USA)  OK Rhea, but if the student is just not willing to practice, then it is up to you if you want that type of student.

Sarah H (Aus)  Have you ever had a student who doesn’t practice at all, Kevin?

Kevin M (USA)  Yes Sarah, and at first I kept these students because I didn’t know how to handle them, and I justified it to myself by saying exactly what Rhea said earlier.  Over time, it became no fun for me, or them.  And when they left I was relieved.  I learned how to produce better results and I replaced with ‘better students’.  It is important to make sure of the reasons why they are not practicing and deal with that.

Nancy L (USA)  My particular student learns very quickly, but because of lack of practice his retention is poor.  And so we review quite a bit…it is really hindering his progress considerably

Sarah H (Aus)  I have students who move a lot slower than I would like, but they still keep up the Playlist and do practice, sometimes a little sporadically however

Kevin M (USA)  Sarah, when you say sporadically how much practice time does that mean for them?

Sarah H (Aus)  It depends on the student, but at least 2 or 3 times since I last saw them at the worst.

Kevin M (USA)  What do you say to them……….

Sarah H (Aus)  reinforce practicing …..as long as they are moving forward I’m OK with it

Kevin M (USA)  I have found that over time, the students that I did not address practice habits with, and resolve getting them on track…
were my ‘worst’ students in the end…. And when they drop out, they’re not as happy, which really misrepresents Simply Music, because
it’s not the method that let them down. It was my inexperience in knowing how to resolve it.

Rhea P (AUS)  I’m really concerned about keeping the joy in music. Having another thing that you HAVE to do does take the fun out of it. When you say ‘worst’ Kevin what do you mean?

Kevin M (USA)  Students have the same joy in music, but it is way more if practice is going well.

Sarah H (Aus)  Yes, I agree.

Kevin M (USA)  By ‘worst’ I mean they ended up dropping out at some point with excuses like “I don’t have the time any more”, etc.  And truthfully, it never has anything to do with the excuse.  And I have learned that if I had taken care of the practice situation earlier, then things would have worked out so much better for all involved.

Sarah H (Aus)  The more they practice, the better they get and the more they feel successful and motivated.

Kevin M (USA)   Yes, these days, all of my students practice mostly five or more days a week.

Sarah H (Aus)  It’s all about setting up a habitual time to play piano, I think, but…

Rhea P (AUS)  I also agree. It IS more fun if you play more but I’m acutely aware that some kids are incredibly booked with activities. I can see that we may need to force choices on them.

Sarah H (Aus)  Well then maybe they are doing too many things… It’s a big problem I think for kids these days

Rhea P (AUS)  I think so. but still if the parents are willing to pay and the kids still want to come to lessons even though they find it difficult to find time to practice, should we still turn them away?

Kevin M (USA)  This is not an easy subject to address. I have had to stop lessons with a few students because they were too busy…….
It was not fun, but they stopped because they made a choice, knowing that they were not willing to make the time to practice.  And in this situation, what’s great about it, is that there are no negatives involved, and the lessons were fun while they lasted.

Most importantly, THEY made the choice and could always come back if they chose to.  And, they know what is expected.  No different than school or doing a sport.

Nancy L (USA)  For those with large Playlists, I have broken their pieces down into the days of the week…..With perhaps 6 “old” songs to practice as a “warm up” and then spend a little time on their new stuff, rhythm, pitch, etc…..

Rhea P (AUS) Nancy, I’ve also used that management tool with my son’s Playlist.

Nancy L (USA)  It’s works quite well for almost all of my students

Kevin M (USA)  Yes Nancy I think that is great.  As long as they are getting all their songs in a few times a week, plus their new stuff.

Nancy L (USA)  Exactly

Kevin M (USA)  Anyone having a real problem with a student/students not practicing or doing their Playlist they would like to address?

Rhea P (AUS)  I’m the only one here who is ambivalent about this issue. I get the impression that I’m completely out of sync.

Kevin M (USA)  Can you tell me more about that please?

Sarah H (Aus)  No rhea, I am a little ambivalent also

Rhea P (AUS)  I know that I didn’t practice much, but my mom tolerated my minimal effort and I progressed and most importantly it stayed in my life – Now I teach… I understand about contracts and accountability (Believe me I do!) but I see my role as being an open door to music and its fun. Don’t get me wrong I do encourage my kids to play and play a lot.  I explain why and most do. I also get them to choose a time of day, and enlist the parent’s help

Kevin M (USA)  Can you tell me why you are associating ‘practicing regularly’ as being a negative? I assure you in my conversations with students it is not experienced as a negative in any way. More like they are making choices, and yes, at times they suffer the consequence of their choices, but that happens in all areas of life, all the time. This is how to teach children to be responsible.

Nancy L (USA)  I just wanted to add that for some students, we are doing a lot more than teaching them this method of learning…we are introducing them to self-discipline, responsibility and accountability…it has really impacted their entire approach to life in general.

Cathy H (USA)  I agree completely Nancy

Kevin M (USA)  And it’s really important to understand that if you are not having any trouble with your student’s practicing, then for you, your system is working great.  I think that’s wonderful, but, for those who might be experiencing trouble with their students practicing, there are simple and completely effective ways to work it out, and that is all I am talking about.

Rhea P (AUS)  Tell me about that. What happens further down the track?

Kevin M (USA)  I have taught for around seven years now, and have had a student base of around sixty to one hundred for that whole time.  I have experienced the longer term consequences of those students not practicing and keeping their Playlist up.  Since I have put new systems in place…My students and parents are happier, they’re doing better with their music, my job is so much easier and more enjoyable, and I get a lot more referrals and compliments on my teaching.

Rhea P (AUS)  Please tell me about those new systems. Does anyone else have some questions?

Kevin M (USA)  Sure, it’s all built around what I’ve been saying. It relates to having conversations about accountability.  And I work to make it fun.  I put a chart on the wall with all the kids names and lesson times.  I have a big barrel of toys and candy in the back. Each week when the student comes to the lesson, If they did everything they agreed to… if they read their note book and did everything it said to do, and if behaved themselves in the lesson, then they get a star.  If at the end of the month they have a star for each week, then they get to pick something out of the barrel.  What’s been amazing, is that they come in looking at the board and barrel every lesson..

Nancy L (USA)  I like that, Kevin

Kevin M (USA)  They love putting the stars up and getting the prize at the end of the month.

Cathy H (USA)  Kevin you had made a suggestion that I call a mom regarding her daughter’s practice, I did…I called the mom…what I found out was she was a mother who needed guidance in setting up her daughter’s schedule. That was easy for me being a mom of 2 kids. She had no idea what to do, so we talked about a lot of things for awhile and I think it worked out great.. The point I’m making is that sometimes it’s not the kids…it’s the parents that need the help, right?

Kevin M (USA)  It’s most important Cathy. And it’s important to have practice time and accountability conversations with the parents. So, good job Cathy

Cathy H (USA) Thanks

Kevin M (USA) This ‘reward’ system has helped a lot with getting the parents involved and on my side.  And that has made things work so much better.  Also they have found this helps them with their kids being responsible for other things.  Without exception, the kids under eleven whose parents were really involved, have always done better than the kids whose parent is just slightly involved.

Any other questions anyone?

Cathy H (USA) Hmm, I wonder what I could put in the barrel to get the adults to fill in their Playlists?

Kevin M (USA) Cathy is that a serious question?

Cathy H (USA) To some degree yes! I have some adults that are just lazy or perceive the Playlist as being a ‘kids thing’.

Kevin M (USA) Good, we should talk about it….. I find that mostly they just don’t understand why it is important.  So I ask them what they think it is all about….

Cathy H (USA) OK

Kevin M (USA) Once I get their answer, I just explain what it is actually about, and why I need it…..And I ask that they do it, and trust me in being their coach. I make it clear that it is necessary.  In the past, I have not enforced it … (I have made a lot of mistakes). And when adults did not practice properly, and keep the Playlist alive, it became a real problem with getting into reading and harder songs.  So if they don’t buy into the fact that it is important, I resort to Neil’s tactic…

Cathy H (USA) Which is?

Kevin M (USA) I say it’s a lot like me being your trainer, and you come and ask me to help you lose weight…but then, you don’t follow what I ask you to do, and then it just doesn’t work and you don’t lose weight. It’s really simple. I need you to be on my side, and agree to follow what I am asking you to do, and trust it will be in your best interests in the long run..

Cathy H (USA) That’s a good one

Kevin M (USA) Yes, Neil is the master of those.  Any other questions/concerns.

Rhea P (AUS) Kevin, I now tell my adults that the standard that I expect from them is that they cannot have more than 3 not-perfect pieces. The one that they learnt last week, and the one they learned the week before plus one that they’re reviving. I think it helps when I articulate the standard I expect.

Kevin M (USA) That’s a good one, I like it, thanks.

Rhea P (AUS) Of course they should never need to revive one!

Cathy H (USA) OK, I asked Neil about that, and he said “perfect” was not a good word…how do you guys interpret “perfect”?

Kevin M (USA) I think it is just the Australian/American language difference, mate!

Rhea P (AUS) You’re right Cathy I couldn’t think of a better word but it’s not a good word. I think I use ‘fluent’ in class.

Cathy H (USA) OK thanks.

Kevin M (USA) Any other questions, anyone?

Rhea P (AUS) I guess articulating expectations to children would also work and also maybe thanking them or praising them when they do play more. This has gotten me to think of more things to do to get them to practice.

I’m sorry Kevin for misguiding the conversation earlier. I am vexed about the issue of pushing accountability (having been manager in a previous incarnation and hating that side of the job!).

Kevin M (USA) Thanks, no worries!