SM vs traditional

I want to share something I’ve been reflecting on as a teacher — not as a criticism of traditional classical training, but as an explanation of why I choose to teach the way I do. Traditional classical music education has given the world incredible discipline,…

• Last updated 3 months ago
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I’m really interested in everyone’s perspective. Multiple studies over decades report that roughly 50–70% of musicians (including pianists) experience playing-related musculoskeletal pain or injury during their training or careers. Given that traditional piano pedagogy relies heavily on standardised posture rules, prescribed hand positions, and visual…

• Last updated 3 months ago
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A new adult student with a small amount of previous experience told me that it’s hard for her to watch her hands because she took a beginning piano class in college with a teacher who insisted that students never look at their hands and would…

• Last updated 3 years ago
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I have a traditional student who is at the end of her book and I gave her the choice to go the the next book or Simply Music. The mom replied that it was up to me. I am not sure how to do this…

• Last updated 4 years ago
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Most people who inquire for lessons with me are not wanting the traditional approach, but this past week two mothers came to me who seem to want the best of both worlds – their child learns tons of songs and enjoys playing and has fun…

• Last updated 9 years ago
• comparing traditional to Simply Music, confidence as a teacher, Laurie Richards, SM vs traditional

I have a prospective student coming to an FIS. She has a woman from her church teaching her traditional lessons. The teacher told her Simply Music is “mostly memorization”. I’ve heard the objection twice from her already. How would you address this concern with a…

• Last updated 9 years ago
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I got a call from a mom today. Her son (11 years old) is getting teased by his peers at school for not learning ‘real’ piano. I will spend time with him and his family to highlight the differences of the method architecture, explain the…

• Last updated 9 years ago
• communication, playing-based, SM vs traditional, traditional